NATIVE PARASITOIDS OF FALL ARMY WORM SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA (J E SMITH) IN MAIZE

Abstract

Fall Army worm Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith) is a devastating, polyphagous pest which entered India during 2018, starting from Karnataka and spreading to other states. This study on its native parasitoids and their parasitisation efficiency in maize crop under Punjab conditions. The S. frugiperda larvae were collected during kharif 2019 and 2020, and it was found that no parasitoids could be observed in 2019, as the pest recently invaded the crop in late season. But, during kharif 2020, two types of parasitoids were observed- Campoletis sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and Chelonus formosanus Sonan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae); these which existed as natural enemies of Chilo partellus were found to adapt effectively with the new invasive pest. The parasitism rate of 21.92 and 16.33% was observed for the Campoletis sp. and Chelonus formosanus, respectively.