Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Fall Armyworm in South Asia: Threats and Management

Suraj Lamsal, Shelton Sibi, Sova Yadav

Asian Journal of Advances in Agricultural Research · pp. 21–34 · Published 20 Jun 2020

10.9734/ajaar/2020/v13i330106

Abstract

Fall armyworm arrived on the Indian subcontinent in May 2018 and now it has spread across  India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and approaching more beyond South East Asia. Strong flying capacity, climate adaptability, and wide host range makes them a better colonizing agent than other species of armyworms. Despite maize being primarily infested  in this region, infestation on sugarcane, sorghum, cotton and cabbage have already been reported from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. National agricultural research bodies  like ICAR, IIMR, NARC, BARI etc. as well as international organizations like FAO, CGIAR, CIMMYT and CABI are working at different levels in effort to develop managemen strategies to combat the pest. Since it is practically impossible to eradicate the pest now, it is essential to work for long term management and in keeping pest population below economically injury level. Reliance on synthetic pesticides only is a temporary way of dealing with the pest. Educating the farmers themselves about the pest and practicing integrated approach of management compatible and feasible in the region would be more sustainable. Identification and using native species of natural enemies, such as predators, parasites and parasitoids is the current need of research. The experiences of small holder farmers in Africa and South America in fall armyworm management might be relevant to South Asia.

Fall armyworm South Asia synthetic pesticides agroecological approach natural enemy.

Cited by 20

Sustainable biological control methods for managing fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda ) in maize cultivation

Muhammad Adeel Ghafar, Muhammad Ramzan, Inzamam Ul Haq · Biocontrol Science and Technology · 2025

Population Dynamics of Fall Army Worm <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> (J E Smith)

Wafaa R Isleem, Tawfiq M. Al-Antary, Monther T Sadder · Indian Journal of Entomology · 2024

Characterization of fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith) resistance in maize

Shimul Das, Toufiqur Rahman, Mahfuzur Rahman · Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection · 2024

Repellent, antifeedant and toxic effects of plants-extracts against Spodoptera frugiperda larvae (fall armyworm)

A.P. Henagamage, M.N. Ranaweera, C.M. Peries · Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology · 2023

Antagonistic and additive effect when combining biopesticides against the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

Steven J. Harte, Daniel P. Bray, Victoria Nash-Woolley · Scientific Reports · 2024

Microbiological resources- an alternate approach for sustainable management of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

B Sinha, SM Haldhar, K Chakrapani · Journal of Agriculture and Ecology · 2023

Capsaicin in the control of Spodoptera frugiperda in corn (Zea mays L.) var. Blanco Urubamba

Hecar Herrera, Agustina Valverde-Rodríguez, Manuel Castillo · Revista de la Facultad de Agronomía Universidad del Zulia · 2025

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

0

Page views

0

PDF downloads

0

Outbound clicks

20

Citations

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

No views recorded yet.

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

No traffic recorded yet.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.