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- Fall Armyworm (FAW), or Spodoptera frugiperda, is an insect that is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
- •In its larva stage, it can cause significant damage to crops, if not well managed. •It prefers maize, but can feed on more than 80 additional species of plants, including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton.
- FAW was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and has quickly spread across virtually all of Sub-Saharan Africa. Because of trade and the moth’s strong flying ability, it has the potential to spread further.
- On July 30, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research issued a warning that the pest, a caterpillar formally known as Spodoptera frugiperda, had reached the subcontinent.
- So far, it has been detected in roughly 70 percent of maize crops in Chikkaballapur in southern Karnataka state, and reports suggest that it has also spread to Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Alarm over the infestation has grown over the past week as scientists warn of the insect’s dangers.
- A major maize pest in North America, the Fall Armyworm arrived in Africa in 2016. Since then, it has threatened the continent’s maize crop, a staple which feeds 300 million people •The Karnataka finding is the first report of the pest in Asia. The discovery is more worrisome because the pest feeds on around 100 different crops, such as vegetables, rice, and sugarcane.
- Its discovery in Karnataka means its spread to the rest of the country, as well as neighbouring countries, could be just a matter of time
- that the pest is here, not much can be done to keep it from spreading elsewhere in the subcontinent.
- . Africa’s experience shows how quickly the pest can colonise a new continent. First reported in Central and Western Africa in 2016, it has spread to 44 African countries today and has proved hard to control. •In India, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are at immediate risk. •And even though the pests reported in Shivamogga and Chikballapur, Karnataka, are only feeding on maize and sorghum at the moment, they are likely to spread to other crops
- Despite India’s rapid urbanization, nearly 70 percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas where farming is an important industry.
- Farmers, in fact, are India’s most politically powerful constituency. The fall armyworm invasion will put their livelihood at risk, and with it, India’s agricultural output;
- Karnataka, for example, accounts for nearly 20 percent of the country’s maize production.
- Furthermore, because the traditionally poor agricultural sector will have a difficult time containing the infestation, the fall armyworm will probably continue to spread throughout the subcontinent in the months ahead.
- The first line of defence against the Fall Armyworm will be insecticides like lambdacyhalothrin.
- Also, the researchers have found some natural predators such as coccinellid beetles, that can aid biological control. A fungal species called Nomuraea rileyi also infects the Fall Armyworm. But these natural enemies may not be as effective as insecticides
- It is likely that the armyworm arrived in India through human-aided transport after slipping through regulatory systems.
- Natural migration is also a possibility as the moth can fly hundreds of kilometres in one night on prevailing winds.
- “Rapid action is necessary as the pest has the potential to spread to other Asian countries owing to suitable climatic conditions and the prominent cultivation of maize in the region,” CABI said in a report on its website.
- FAO Technical Working Groups, along with many partners, are developing:
- Recommendations on the use of synthetic pesticides
- Recommendations on biological control, especially bio-pesticides
- A monitoring and early warning programme •Farmer Field Schools curricula and communications.
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