FAW; AN EMERGING THREATS TO AGRICULTURE

Abstract

The fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a polyphagous crop pest which has a higher possibility of spreading all over the world, risking the agricultural potential yield by reducing the productivity and production. The rapid breeding ability with a speed migrating tendency along with the voracious feeding nature, has made the monitoring and control of this pest more difficult. With more than 80 host species, the agricultural devastation caused by FAW has been a threat to the agricultural sector. So, an integrated approach of pest management should be in our top priority while dealing with controlling of the pest. Various cultural practices like deep ploughing before the rain onset and intercropping with different leguminous crops has helped to decrease the faw population along with other physical, biological, mechanical and chemical methods. However, chemical methods should be applied below the economic threshold level and only when the pest population is growing in such a rapid form that the other methods has failed to affect the pest population. This review mainly focuses on the Insect distribution, its biology, host preference, field damage along with its management strategies that has been researched by various researchers from different corners of the world.