Title : Harnessing native bioagents for sustainable management of fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda
Abstract:
Exploitation of biological agents in the management of the invasive fall armyworm is considered the most sustainable strategy. This is particularly important for sub-Saharan Africa, where smallholder farmers form majority of staple food producers. A field study was thus conducted to assess the effectiveness of simultaneous deployment of a parasitoid Telenomus remus (Hymenotptera: Pterigydae), and native entomopathogenic fungi Bauveria bassiana and nematode Metarhabditi ranai in managing fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). T. remus was released on 4 weeks old maize followed by application of B. bassiana and M. ranai after 24 hours. Treatments were sole T. remus, T. remus + B. bassiana, T. remus + M. ranai and T. remus + B. bassiana + M. ranai. Egg mass parasitism, larval mortality, incidence of S. frugiperda infestation, leaf and cob damage, and yield were assessed. FAW egg mass parasitism were similar across sole T. remus, T. remus + B. bassiana, T. remus + M. ranai and T. remus + B. bassiana + M. ranai treatments. Larval mortality of S. frugiperda 72 hours after treatment with the entomopathogens was similar among parasitoid and entomopathogen combinations, and these were higher than sole parasitoid. Maize leaf damage and new infestation by S. frugiperda significantly reduced and remained low after deploying the native bioagents. Maize cob damage at harvest and yield were not different among sole parasitoid and parasitoid + entomopathogen combinations. The parasitoid T. remus can be complemented with either entomopathogenic nematode M. ranai or entomopathogenic fungi B. bauveria as part of integrated management of S. frugiperda in maize.
Audience Takeaway:
- There is always local alternative solutions to effectively manage insect pests including the invasive fall armyworm
- There are native biocontrol options that can form a formidable component of IPM strategy against the fall armyworm
- Exploring innovations from famer’s cultural practices can give researchers a head start
- Sustainable management of fall armyworm can be achieved by combining natural enemies and entomopathogens in a thought through management programmes.
