Abstract
Simple SummaryIn this article “Seasonal dynamics of the alien insect pest Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Manica province, central Mozambique”, the authors Albasini Caniço, António Mexia and Luisa Santos, discuss the population fluctuation of a newly introduced and important insect pest. This insect pest attacks maize, which is a staple food in the country. Because the pest is highly voracious, its attack on maize reduces the grain yield and threatens food security of around half of the Mozambican population. The authors compared the situation of the pest in the dry and rainy seasons. The study shows that during the dry season, the population of this pest increases and many plants are attacked and eventually killed. With this knowledge, farmers and researchers can efficiently plan about when the control measures should be stepped up to deal with this insect pest.The alien invasive insect pest Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), commonly referred to as fall armyworm (FAW), is causing significant losses to maize production in Africa since its detection in 2016. Despite being the primary insect pest of the main food crop in the country, researchers have concentrated their efforts on methods of control, and there are no published studies on its seasonality which could assist farmers in delivering effective methods of control in periods of heavy infestations. The primary goal of this study was to assess the seasonal dynamics of FAW in maize fields. We conducted a field survey from May to August 2019 (dry season of the 2018/2019 cropping season) and in December 2019 and January 2020 (rainy season of the 2019/2020 cropping season) in 622 maize fields. In each field, 20 plants were selected in a “W” pattern and checked for the presence of FAW egg masses and/or larvae. Plants were also assessed for damage. Preliminary results show increased infestation, damages, and population density of FAW in the dry season. Our results suggest that early planting of maize in the primary cropping season may significantly reduce the infestation and damage by FAW when compared to the dry season.
Highlights
The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an alien polyphagous insect pest originating from the Americas, where it has more than 350 different host plants including both crop and non-crop species [1]
1) wason lower than the number of of egg masses and larvae recorded thenumber rainy season were much than(Table those found the dry damaged plants (Table 2). This result was likely due to the short period of larval development when compared to the length of the period of maize vegetative stage, as larvae might have reached the season, the number of maize fields sampled in the rainy season was by far higher than during the dry season
Our study shows that fall armyworm (FAW) occurs in both dry and rainy seasons, but infestation and damage levels are higher in the dry season
Summary
The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an alien polyphagous insect pest originating from the Americas, where it has more than 350 different host plants including both crop and non-crop species [1]. Despite its ability to survive in different host plants, fall armyworm. Insects 2020, 11, 512; doi:10.3390/insects11080512 www.mdpi.com/journal/insects (FAW) is known to have a high preference for maize [2,3]. In Africa, FAW was first reported in. West and Central Africa in 2016 [4] and rapidly spread to the rest of the continent with devastating consequences on maize production [5]. The rapid spread of FAW is attributed mainly to its migratory potential [8] and high dispersal capacity [9]
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