Population Dynamics of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda and its Natural Enimies in Maize

Abstract

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is one of the polyphagous invasive insect to India, initially reported from Karnataka. A roving survey was conducted during two cropping seasons at fortnightly interval at kharif and rabi of 2019-2020 to know the status of the pest in Haveri district. The results revealed that the mean larval population and per cent infestation of fall armyworm was ranged from 0.30 to 0.44 larvae per plant and 23.10 to 33.77 per cent, respectively. In the study period, parasitisation by two larval parasitoids viz., Campoletis chlorideae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and Exorista xanthaspis (Diptera: Tachinidae) and infection by an entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium rileyi were also observed. The rainfall (r = -0.889) was only parameter having significantly negative influence on pest incidence.