Fighting the Fall Armyworm

摘要

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, was first reported in Africa in early 2016. It devastated maize and other food crops and now threatens to spread across the African continent.The countries affected were Nigeria, Togo, Benin, and Sao Tome and Principe. Since then the pest has spread across the continent to infect at least 28 countries and is of particular concern in 12 of Africa's maize producing countries where yield losses can be between 20% and 50%. FAW is actually native to North and South America, but how it was introduced into Africa is still unknown.