Management and control strategies for fall armyworm

Fall armyworm can cause serious damage to crops, and is a growing threat across the world. This report looks at ways in which governments and farmers can respond in order to control an outbreak of the pest.

"Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is an insect that can cause an unprecedented impact on plants, particularly maize, sorghum, rice, and other agricultural crops. The introduction and spread of this pest should therefore be prevented where still possible.

It is important to note that, to date, none of the more than 70 countries in which fall armyworm (FAW) has been detected has been able to eradicate this pest, and significant pest populations have established in affected countries.

MANAGING AN OUTBREAK

The response plan should set out the phytosanitary measures that are to be applied to contain or limit the spread of FAW once the pest is officially detected and confirmed. These include delimiting surveys, preventive measures, phytosanitary measures, and measures to suppress the pest population and its spread. The response plan should be implemented immediately once FAW is officially found in a new territory. The prevention and preparedness plan should also continue to be implemented for the parts of the country where the pest is still absent.

A delimiting survey is a survey conducted to establish the boundaries of an area considered to be infested by, or free from a pest. If FAW is detected during detection surveys, or if a report of a suspected case of FAW is verified, a programme of delimiting surveys should be put in place to establish the boundaries of the infested area.

A distance of 100km is usually considered an adequate cost-effective compromise for the radius of the area to be investigated, depending on the data available on the mobility of the insect (which varies depending on climatic conditions). In the territory falling within this area, the phytosanitary authorities should conduct surveys through inspections and trapping, favouring the areas cultivated with susceptible crops, in particular maize, sorghum, and rice, but at the same time guaranteeing homogeneous coverage of the entire area.