Fall army worm ( Spodoptera frugiperda , Noctuidae , lepidioptera )

Damaging stage : larvae

Damaging symptoms :

• Causes elongate, ragged holes (see photo below) May cut leaves in half. Injures developing tassel .Plugs whorl with wet, yellowish- brown frass.

Life cycle :

Egg :white color ,dome shaped ,single layer ,deposite grayish scale

Larvae : young larvae are greenish with black head turning orange in 2^nd instar larva . 3^rd instar larvae are dorsal surface of the body brownish and lateral line began to form .

4^th to 6^th instar larvae :head reddish brown and inverted Y shaped , 4 sq. dots are Present in 8 abdominal part.

• Pupa : reddish brown in color , earthen cocoon
• Adult : male:- forewings are generally shaded gray and brown color with triangular white spot at the tip and near the center of wings.

Female: forewings are less distinctively marked, fine gray and brown. Hindwings of both sex are similar white with narrow dark border.

Management :

• Egg parasitoid : telenomus remus
• Larval parasitoid :cotesia spp , chelonus spp, tachinids
• Predator : ground beetle , ear wings , spined soldier bug , birds , sting bug
• Bacillus thuringenesis
• Push pull strategy
• Early mature or early planting
• Spodoptera frugiperda multiple NPV
• Spinosad ,
• Emamectin benzoate 5% SG 220 g/ha