An Outbreak Of Fall Armyworm In Indian Subcontinent : A New Invasive Pest On Maize

The Fall armyworm (Spodopterafrugiperda, J.E. Smith), an economically crucial polyphagous insect pest native to tropical and subtropical regions of America has reached Asia and noticed first time in maize fields South Karnataka in the Indian subcontinent during May 2018, causing substantial damage to the crop. The pest has invaded most of the maize growing area in India within a short period of two months posing a severe threat to maize growers, challenges to the scientific community and administrators. In the context of its economic importance and destructive nature, the identification, biology and life cycle, nature of damage and extent of yield loss, and management of fall armyworm through cultural practices, mechanical and local controls, biological and synthetic pesticides have been reviewed in detail in the present manuscript. Early planting and intercropping with non-host crops are essential cultural practices to reduce pest incidence. The crop which was monitored during the early vegetative stage showed a good response for synthetic pesticides, while crop damage was largest in late vegetative and pre-flowering stages. The pathways of the introduction of fall armyworm into Indian sub-continent are subject to speculations, however considering the lack of diapause mechanisms, its high spreading ability, and wide host plant range it is likely that the pest will soon be able to colonize most of tropical Asia. Hence, there is an urgent need for developing ecologically sustainable, economically profitable, and socially acceptable integrated pest management strategies to mitigate the impact of the fall armyworm in India and Asia.