The Biology of Fall Army Worm (Spodopterafrugiperda. J. E. Smith) in Sudan

Nada Elsheikh M Kona,Abubaker Haroun Mohamed Adam,Awad Khalafallataha,Mohammed E E Mahmoud,Giorgio Masoero

doi:10.14302/issn.2639-3166.jar-21-3858

Abstract

The Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is considered among the economic important pests in Sudan. Therefore, it became necessary to study and understand its biology and find out the appropriate control measure (s). To achieve the above objective, experiments based on Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) were carried out during the period from September 2018 to August 2019, where the Fall armyworm (FAW) was reared in the laboratory and fed on a nutrient médium composed of Corn leaves. The results displayed the ranges of eggs laid by a female was 890–1169. The egg incubation period ranged between 3-13 days. The larval duration ranged between (13-50) days and the pupal duration was between (7-20) days under a temperature of 21-300c and a Relative Humidity (RH) of 65 ± 5%. The longevity of the adults was 1-20 days, and the range of the full lifecycle was (24-100). However, six generations of FAW were obtained within one year. This study concludes that in Sudan FAW breeds continously throughtout the year and it recommends further studies on the biology and effective management of this invasive pest

Highlights

IntroductionWorld (Pitre, et, al.; 1983, Capinera, 2017)[1,2], but, basically, it is an indigenous pest throughout the Americas
To achieve the above objective, experiments based on Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) were carried out during the period from September 2018 to August 2019, where the Fall armyworm (FAW) was reared in the laboratory and fed on a nutrient medium composed of Corn leaves
Later surveys were carried out by Plant Protection Directorate up to 2020 showed that FAW was reported from 11 other states in the country (Plant Protection Directorate-Unpublished Reports, 2020)[9]

Summary

Introduction

World (Pitre, et, al.; 1983, Capinera, 2017)[1,2], but, basically, it is an indigenous pest throughout the Americas. The studies showed that, it is one of the most damaging crop pests, feeding on over 80 different crops including Maize, Rice, Sorghum, and Sugarcane in addition to many others which include Cotton, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Millet, Cabbage and many Grasses. Studies carried out on this pest showed that it is a polyphagous insect of enormous agricultural importance. Later surveys were carried out by Plant Protection Directorate up to 2020 showed that FAW was reported from 11 other states in the country (Plant Protection Directorate-Unpublished Reports, 2020)[9]. Concerning the economic importance of the FAW, surveys were carried out during 3-4 months in 8 states showed that 6 crops; namely. This research was carried out to study the biology of the FAW after its wide distribution in Khartoum State. As a new invasive pest, it is important to understand its life stages and biological parameters in order to allow for planning effective strategy for control measures

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion and Recommendations