ABOUT
Fall Armyworm
/
FAMEWS
YOU SHOULD NOT PANIC AT THE SIGN OF FAW IN YOUR FIELD
IMMEDIATE ACTION TO TAKE
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Check your fields as soon as seedlings appear and continue at least two times per week until tasselling
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Use your fingers to squash any whitish or greyish egg masses (about the size of your thumb) and young larvae (worms) on top and bottom of the leaves
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Sprinkling ash, sand or dirt into whorls has been done by some farmers, others use soap or local botanical solutions
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Some botanical insecticides (e.g. Neem) and pathogens (virus, bacteria, fungi) known to be effective
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Application directly into the whorls of plants that show FAW damage can be very effective
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Pheromone traps can be used to help detect the presence, buildup and movement of FAW in your area
CAUTION
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Spraying insecticides early in the crop cycle will kill off the natural enemies and may not be economical
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Older pesticides may be hazardous to human health and may be banned in other countries
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Effectiveness of insecticides against FAW depends on the application technique, dose and formulation
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Once FAW is down in the whorl, the insecticides must reach them there
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Spraying with backpack sprayers without delivering insecticides directly into the whorl is often ineffective
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Spraying insecticides several times can dramatically increase the costs of production, making the maize economically unviable
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Maize plants have a capacity to compensate for lower-level FAW infestation. Not all FAW damage causes significant maize yield reduction.
FAW FACTS
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A native of the Americas, FAW is now in Africa to stay
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A pest of more than 80 plant species
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FAW lives about 35–61 days
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Adult females lay eggs directly on maize leaves and hatch in 3–5 days
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The larvae (worm or caterpillar) develop in 14–28 days, moving from the leaf to the whorl and sometimes to the maize ear
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After development, larvae drop to the ground to pupate in the soil for 7–14 days
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The moth appears and lives as an adult for 11–14 days, and can fly up to 100 km per night
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FAW can breed continuously, causing several generations per year
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In the Americas natural biological control (predators, parasitoids and pathogens) kill up to 50% of FAW in unsprayed maize fields
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Planting date is very important – late planted maize gets attacked much more than early-planted maize
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Increasing plant diversity (such as intercropping) can reduce FAW oviposition and increase natural enemy populations
ABOUTFAMEWS
FAMEWS = Fall Armyworm Monitoring and
Early Warning System
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The app is to be used every time fields are checked (scouting) and pheromone traps are counted for Fall Armyworm (FAW), Africa Armyworm (AAW) and Stem Borer
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The primary target user is the farmer, supplemented by community focal persons, extension agents and plant protection officers when the farmer does not have a smart phone
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Relying solely on extension agents or plant protection officers may not give the desired coverage as they are unlikely to be able to visit all farms on a regular and timely basis
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The app has three sections: General information, Field scouting and Pheromone traps
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Some information is required (indicated by a red asterisk) that must be entered before continuing
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The app is multilingual – initially English and French
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The app should be used in conjunction with the FAO Guidance Notes on Scouting and Trapping
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Data can be transmitted immediately or stored and sent once a connection becomes available
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The app allows users to monitor FAW, AAW and Stem Borer
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Data from the app provides farmers, communities and countries with early warning and advice on changes in FAW population levels and distribution in order to protect their crops
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The app is very intuitive and easy to use – it should take about 10 minutes to learn
ABOUT
Fall Armyworm
/
FAMEWS