Status of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae) and its natural enemies at major maize growing areas of Haveri district

Abstract

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) belongs to the family Noctuidae which has got economic importance as polyphagous and extreme pest of many important crops, including maize in India and elsewhere.In this context, roving survey was conducted on two cropping seasons at fortnightly interval during kharif and rabi of 2019-20 to know the status of fall armyworm in all the seven talukas of Haveri district viz., Hirekerur, Ranebennur, Byadagi, Haveri, Shiggaon, Savanur and Hangal. 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 different talukas surveyed. In overall view Haveri district registered the mean larval population and per cent infestation of 0.37 larvae per plant and 28.99 per cent, respectively, in kharif and rabi. During the study period, it was observed for two different species of parasitoids viz., Campoletis chlorideae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and Exorist axanthaspis (Diptera:Tachinidae) were parasitizing FAW larvae. Along with parasitoids, one entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium rileyi was known to infect the larvae which was collected during the survey period.