Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
Integrated pest management best way to manage fall armyworm
Integrated pest management practices were the best way to contain fall armyworm outbreaks, according to Dr Annemie Erasmus, a senior researcher of entomology at the Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) Grain Crops Institute.
At the beginning of the 2018/2019 summer grain production season, Erasmus warned South African producers to prepare for possible outbreaks of fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda). During the past two production seasons, fall armyworm outbreaks were reported in maize, sorghum and soya bean crops, among others. While maize was the preferred crop for the pest, and serious damages were reported since the first outbreak in 2016, fall armyworm could cause significant damage to at least 80 different types of crops in its larval stage, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
“[Integrated pest management] includes biological control, as well as the use of insecticides. Regular scouting and surveillance remains vital in the fight against the pest,” Erasmus said.
She added that farmers needed to be careful when using insecticides, and that adhering to the labelling instructions of the product was vital. She also said producers needed to ensure that the insecticide used was registered for the control of fall armyworm.
“There are no preventative insecticides available against fall armyworm. To spray preventatively could result in the pest developing resistance to insecticides,” she said. Meanwhile, since first detected in the 2016/2017 season, local natural enemies had started attacking the worm. According to Erasmus, the most promising was the discovery of an egg parasitoid that lived off the eggs of the fall armyworm. She said the discovery of this parasitoid and its use together with chemical control measures created the opportunity for an integrated fall armyworm management system in South Africa. – Annelie Coleman
SOME NATURAL ENEMIES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO ATTACK THE PEST