Fall Armyworm in Africa

120 Pages·2017·3.6 MB·English

Fall Armyworm in Africa:
A GUIDE FOR INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
First Edition
Fall Armyworm in Africa:
A GUIDE FOR INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
First Edition
Editors
B.M. Prasanna1 | Joseph E. Huesing2
Regina Eddy2 | Virginia M. Peschke3
in collaboration with international and national
research and development partners
1CIMMYT; 2USAID; 3Oakside Editorial Services
Feed the Future is America’s initiative to combat global hunger and poverty.
Led by USAID and drawing on the support and expertise of multiple U.S.
government agencies and departments, Feed the Future brings partners together
to help some of the world’s poorest countries harness the power of agriculture and
entrepreneurship to jumpstart their economies and create new opportunities.
For more information, visit www.feedthefuture.gov.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works to end
extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their
potential. USAID invests in ideas that work to improve the lives of millions of men,
women and children by: investing in agricultural productivity so countries can feed
their people; combating maternal and child mortality and deadly diseases like HIV,
malaria and tuberculosis; providing life-saving assistance in the wake of disaster;
promoting democracy, human rights and good governance around the world;
fostering private-sector development and sustainable economic growth; helping
communities adapt to a changing environment; and elevating the role of women
and girls throughout all our work. For more information, visit www.usaid.gov.
CIMMYT - The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center - is the
global leader in publicly-funded maize and wheat research and related farming
systems. Headquartered near Mexico City, CIMMYT works with hundreds of
partners throughout the developing world to sustainably increase the productivity
of maize and wheat cropping systems, thus improving global food security and
reducing poverty. CIMMYT is a member of the CGIAR System and leads the
CGIAR Research Programs on Maize and Wheat and the Excellence in Breeding
Platform. The Center receives support from national governments, foundations,
development banks and other public and private agencies. For more information,
visit www.cimmyt.org.
The CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) is an international
collaboration led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
(CIMMYT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) that seeks
to mobilize global resources in maize R&D to achieve greater impact on maize-
based farming systems in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. MAIZE strategy
draws upon learning and experiences obtained through decades of extensive
partnerships with national and international research and development partners,
including both public and private institutions, and farming communities. For more
information, visit www.maize.org.
© 2018. USAID and CIMMYT. All rights reserved. The designations employed
in the presentation of materials in this publication do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of USAID or CIMMYT or contributory
organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or of
its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. USAID
and CIMMYT encourage fair use of this material. Proper citation is requested.
Correct citation: B.M. Prasanna, Joseph E. Huesing, Regina Eddy, Virginia
M. Peschke (eds). 2018. Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest
Management, First Edition. Mexico, CDMX: CIMMYT.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in various chapters in this publication are
those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the official views of USAID,
CIMMYT, or other organizations for whom the authors work.
January 2018; First Edition
Preface
The world has seen significant progress in the fight against hunger, undernutrition and extreme poverty, although
a lot still remains to be done. At the same time, the emergence and rapid spread of the fall armyworm (FAW;
Spodoptera frugiperda) in Africa seriously threatens the food and income security of millions of smallholder
farmers. Given what we know about the pest’s behavior in the Americas and from the early experiences in
Africa, shared commitments to reduce poverty and hunger – as expressed by the Sustainable Development
Goals, the African Union’s Malabo Declaration and G7 – may be difficult to achieve without concerted and
intensive actions at all levels. Within a short span of its introduction in Africa, FAW has been confirmed in over
30 African countries and it is likely to become endemic in many. Its major preference for maize, a staple food for
over 300 million African smallholder farm families, poses a threat to food security, nutrition and livelihoods.
Given the enormity of the challenge, an effective response requires coordinated action from the broadest
possible community – African governments, international and national research institutions, donors, the private
sector and civil society. An important foundation for this action must be an understanding of FAW behavior
and the management practices that can help smallholder farmers effectively control the pest without damaging
human and animal health and the environment. To this end, we convened experts from Africa and around the
world in Entebbe, Uganda (Sept 16-17, 2017) to review and identify management options for control of FAW in
Africa within an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) framework.
This publication, titled Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide to Integrated Pest Management, is the result of
contributions of dozens of institutions and individuals, to whom we express our deep appreciation. This learning
community consisted of experts and practitioners from international and national research and development
institutions with extensive experience in pest biology; pest scouting, monitoring and surveillance; biological
control; host plant resistance; pesticide risk management; agronomic and landscape management; and IPM
strategies. To address the rapid spread of FAW in Africa, we have worked intensively to quickly review and
highlight scientifically proven management practices that could be relevant for African farmers, especially
smallholders. We intend to revise and release subsequent editions of this FAW IPM Guide, updating the scientific
knowledge, management practices, protocols and research findings, as more evidence with regard to efficacy of
various FAW management options in Africa emerges.
Our approach to the development of this publication is guided by the Rome Principles developed by leaders at
the 2009 World Summit on Food Security to guide urgent action to eradicate hunger. In particular, we seek to
work in partnership to:
• Ensure that scientific evidence and knowledge guides recommendations on FAW management practices
and policies.
• Foster strategic coordination to align the knowledge, experience and resources of diverse partners, avoid
duplication of effort and identify implementation gaps.
• Support country-level engagement and ownership of approaches to ensure assistance is tailored to the
needs of individual countries and built on consultation with all key stakeholders.
• Commit to building capacity, focusing on integrated actions addressing policies, institutions and people,
with a special emphasis on smallholders and women farmers.
Scope of this FAW IPM Guide
This FAW IPM Guide is designed for use by professionals in plant protection organizations, extension
agencies, research institutions, and Governments, whose primary focus is smallholder farmers and the
seed systems that support them. The FAW IPM Guide is meant to provide an important foundation for
the emergence of harmonized FAW pest management protocols that will continue to be informed by
research. The guide is also expected to serve as the basis for a series of cascading technical knowledge
dissemination materials and social and behavioral change communications that will specifically target the
needs of the smallholder farmers in Africa.
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Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management
The demand for this FAW IPM Guide is high. Therefore, this first edition is meant to provide practitioners
with the IPM foundation to successfully manage FAW in Africa. This includes chapters on FAW Pest Biology
and Integrated Pest Management, Host Plant Resistance, Biocontrol, and Agroecological Landscape
Management. Importantly, the guide provides protocols for Monitoring and Scouting for FAW in maize fields
to assess the level of damage due to the pest and to suggest when interventions are warranted. Because
the primary technical intervention, at least in the immediate term, is likely to be treatment with synthetic
pesticides, a chapter is included on Pesticide Hazard and Risk Assessment and Compatibility with IPM.
We recognize that some important topics are still in development and may be provided by other avenues in the
short term. For example, we do not make specific pesticide recommendations, per se. The use of a particular
pesticide is regulated at the country level and therefore varies by jurisdiction. Country recommendations and label
directions must be followed when using pesticides. We do, however, provide generic information on what types
of chemical pesticides should be avoided, what could be environmentally safer, and how best to assess pesticide
hazards and risks. Further, we have not included information on pesticide application since, in many jurisdictions,
pesticide applicator training may be a government-regulated activity. Still, our goal for the second edition of the
FAW IPM Guide will be to provide a basic outline of that information. In the interim, we have provided guidance
from CropLife International, which may prove useful.
Readers of the FAW IPM Guide are encouraged to identify and combine appropriate options from each of the
chapters, applying or adapting them as necessary in their local context, in order to develop effective, locally
appropriate IPM strategies against FAW. While some chapters in the FAW IPM Guide (e.g., Chapter 2 on FAW
Monitoring and Scouting) contain immediately actionable guidance, others (e.g., Chapter 4 on Host Plant
Resistance; Chapter 5 on Biological Control and Biorational Pesticides) are aimed primarily for the research
community, providing relevant tools and protocols to identify and develop appropriate technologies.
This FAW IPM Guide is intended as a living document, to be updated regularly. While the information
compiled in the first edition provides an initial basis for practical decision-making and strategic planning,
future editions will reflect the rapidly evolving African experience with FAW, and provide opportunities to
expand and refine local IPM approaches in light of new knowledge and tools.
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Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management
Acknowledgements
This publication on Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management is intended as a
comprehensive, expert-approved, IPM-based technical guide that can be used as an up-to-date decision
support tool for sustainable management of the pest, especially in maize-based cropping systems.
Development of such a manual was identified as one of the high-priority interventions by an action plan that
emerged out of the Stakeholders Consultation Workshop on Fall Armyworm, organized jointly by CIMMYT,
the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), in Nairobi, Kenya (April 27-28, 2017).
CIMMYT, as the main implementing partner, sincerely acknowledges the funding support received from
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under the Feed the Future initiative and from the
USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, to make this publication possible.
This FAW IPM Guide was the result of the contributions of several institutions and individuals. The “seed”
for this publication was first sown in a highly productive workshop on “Developing Fall Armyworm Pest
Management Field Manual for Africa” (September 16-17, 2017) in Entebbe, Uganda (Appendix 1). The
workshop, organized jointly by USAID and CIMMYT, in partnership with FAO, included 60 experts from
various international and national research and development partners, as listed below (in alphabetical
order): Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA); African Union – InterAfrican Phytosanitary Council
(AU-IAPSC); Bayer; Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa); Centre for Agriculture and
Biosciences International (CABI); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Crop Biosciences Ltd; Desert Locust
Control Organization-East Africa (DLCO-EA), Ethiopia; FAO; Famine Early Warning Systems Network
(FEWS NET); International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE); International Crops
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT); International Institute on Tropical Agriculture
(IITA); International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT); Julius Kuhn Institut, Germany;
Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kenya; Leibniz Institute, Germany;
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Government of Uganda; National Agricultural
Research Organization (NARO), Uganda; North-West University, South Africa; National Plant Protection
Organization (NPPO), Ghana; National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), Malawi; National Plant
Protection Organization (NPPO), the Netherlands; National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), Nigeria;
Oregon State University, USA; Syngenta; University of Florida, USA; University of Lomé, Togo; University
of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe; USAID; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Research
Service (ARS); Virginia Tech, USA; Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), Zambia.
We would like to specially acknowledge the support received from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for sponsoring participants from the Leibniz Institute, Julius Kuhn
Institut, and the Dutch NPPO, for the Entebbe Workshop.
While developing this FAW IPM Guide, the authors took into account relevant lessons from dealing with
FAW in the Americas, recognizing on one hand the inherent differences in the American and African farming
contexts and landscapes, and the possible commonalities when it comes to preventive and curative
interventions against transboundary pests, including surveillance, monitoring, forecasting and control
interventions on the other.
The content of various Chapters in this publication was further refined through collective inputs and
interaction with the participants of two Regional Training and Awareness Generation Workshops on Fall
Armyworm Management, organized in Harare, Zimbabwe (October 30-November 1, 2017; Appendix 2),
and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (November 13-15, 2017; Appendix 3). Experts in the respective fields also
critically reviewed the content of each of the Chapters.
We sincerely thank Tracy Powell for her timely and invaluable editing support, and the CIMMYT Corporate
Communications team, especially Gerardo Mejía Enciso, Clyde Beaver, and Genevieve Renard, for kind
support in formatting and designing the publication.
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Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management
List of Acronyms & Abbreviations
AAW African Armyworm
AGRA Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa
ARC-RSA Agricultural Research Council - Republic of South Africa
ARS Agricultural Research Service
AU-IAPSC African Union – InterAfrican Phytosanitary Council
BFS Bureau for Food Security
Bt Bacillus thuringiensis
CA Conservation Agriculture
CABI Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International
CBG Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
CFTs Confined Field Trials
CGIAR Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research
CIMMYT International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
cm centimeter
CML CIMMYT Maize Line
CNFA Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture
CRS Catholic Relief Service
Cry Crystal protein gene
DCA Dan Church Aid
DLCO-EA Desert Locust Control Organization-East Africa
DR & SS Department of Research & Specialists Services
DT Drought Tolerance
EIAR Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
EIL Economic Injury Level
ELISA  Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Embrapa Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
EPF Entomopathogenic Fungi
EPN Entomopathogenic Nematodes
ET Economic Threshold
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FAW Fall Armyworm
FEWS NET Famine Early Warning Systems Network
FtF Feed the Future
GEEL Growth, Enterprise, Employment and Livelihoods program
GEM Germplasm Enhancement of Maize
GHS Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labeling of Chemicals
GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
GM Genetically Modified
HHP Highly Hazardous Pesticide
HPR Host Plant Resistance
HQ Hazard Quotient
ICIPE International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology
IFAS Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (University of Florida)
IGR Insect Growth Regulating
IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
INRA Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
IPM Integrated Pest Management
IPPC Integrated Plant Protection Center
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Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management
IRM Insect Resistance Management
ISABU Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi
ISRA Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles
JMPM Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management
KALRO Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization
KAVES Kenya Agricultural Value Chain Enterprises
KEPHIS Kenya Plant health inspectorate Service
km kilometer
L litre
m minute
MIRT Multiple Insect Resistance Tropical
mm millimeter
MOA Mode of Action 
MoA Ministry of Agriculture
NARO National Agricultural Research Organization
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NPPO National Plant Protection Organization
OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
OP Organophosphate
OPVs Open-Pollinated Varieties
OV Organic Vapor
PIB Polyhedral Inclusion Bodies
PPE Personal Protective Equipment
PRM Pesticide Risk Management
PVC Polyvinyl chloride
QMS Quality Management System
RCBD Randomized Complete Block Design
RH Relative Humidity
s second
SAN Sustainable Agriculture Network
SfGV Spodoptera frugiperda Granulovirus
SfMNPV Spodoptera frugiperda Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus
SpexNPV Spodoptera exempta Nucleopolyhedrovirus
spp. species
SSA Sub-Saharan Africa
U.S. United States
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
USDA-ARS United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
UV Ultraviolet light
VE Vegetative-Early
VT Vegetative-Tassel
WEMA Water Efficient Maize for Africa
WHH Welthungerhilfe 
WHO World Health Organization
ZARI Zambia Agricultural Research Institute
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Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 01 Integrated Pest Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa: 1
An Introduction
1. I ntroduction 2
1.1. Arrival and Spread of Fall Armyworm (FAW) across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) 2
1.2. Emerging Impacts Across Africa 2
1.3. The African FAW Response Thus Far 3
2. FAW Description and Life Cycle 4
2.1. Egg Stage 4
2.2. Larval Stage 4
2.3. Pupal Stage 4
2.4. Adult Stage 5
2.5. Host Range 6
2.6. FAW Haplotypes 6

3. An IPM Framework to Control FAW in Africa 6
3.1. Principles of IPM 6
3.2. Applying the IPM Framework to FAW in Africa 9
CHAPTER 02 Monitoring, Surveillance, and Scouting for Fall Armyworm 11
1. I ntroduction 12
1.1. Definitions 12
1.2. Delivery Pathways to Smallholder Farmers 13
1.3. Importance of Monitoring, Surveillance, and Scouting in the African Context 13

2. Monitoring for FAW 14
2.1. Trap Selection 14
2.2. Trap Placement and Setup 14
2.3. Trap Monitoring 15
2.4. Data Recording 16
2.5. Sharing and Use of Monitoring Data 16

3. F ield Scouting for FAW 17
3.1. Identifying Maize Growth Stages 17
3.2. Scouting Protocols 19

4. A ction Thresholds and Recommendations 25
4.1. Making a Safe Spray/No-Spray Decision – The “Four Steps Repeat” Process 26
4.2. Insecticide Resistance Management (IRM) 27
4.3. Educational Targets 27

5. Scouting Form 28
CHAPTER 03 Pesticide Hazard and Risk Management, 29
and Compatibility with IPM
1. Introduction 30

2. Barriers and Opportunities Associated with Pesticides 30
a nd IPM against FAW
2.1. Barriers to IPM Implementation and Effective Pesticide Management 31
2.2. Accessible and Practical IPM Guidelines 32

3. D eveloping Pesticide Data Summaries/Guidelines and Managing Risks 34
3.1. Ranking Pesticides for Compatibility with IPM 34
3.2. Hazard and Risk Classification for Pesticides in 37
Current Use Against FAW, and Suggested Risk Mitigation
3.3. Pesticide Risk Communication 42

4. Conclusions 43
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Fall Armyworm in Africa: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management

Table of Contents
(continued)
CHAPTER 04 Host Plant Resistance to Fall Armyworm 45
1. Introduction 46

2. S ources of Host Plant Resistance 46
2.1. Naturally Occurring Genetic Variation for FAW Resistance in Maize 47
2.2. Transgene-based FAW Resistance in Maize 49

3. P rotocols to Support Breeding for Resistance to FAW 51
3.1. Protocol for Mass Rearing of FAW Insects 51
3.2. Protocol for Screening Maize Germplasm under FAW Infestation 57
CHAPTER 05 Biological Control and Biorational Pesticides 63
for Fall Armyworm Management
1. I ntroduction 64
1.1. What are Biological and Biorational Pesticides 64

for Fall Armyworm Management?

2. Biocontrol-based IPM Strategies for FAW 65
2.1. Advantages of Using Biological Control of FAW in Africa 65
2.2. Inundative Release of a Biological Control Agent against FAW 66
2.3. Importance of Other Beneficial Insects in the Natural Control of FAW 66

3. How to Recognize Natural Enemies of FAW 67
3.1. Insects 67
3.2. Entomopathogens 73
3.3. Botanical Pesticides 76

4. Protocol for Monitoring Biological Control Agents of FAW 77
4.1. Parasitoids 77
4.2. Predators 77
4.3. Entomopathogens 78

5. Procedures for Rearing Natural Enemies of FAW in the Laboratory 78
5.1. Production and Use of Egg Parasitoid Trichogramma 78
5.2. Production of Egg Parasitoid Telenomus remus 83
5.3. Production of Chelonus spp. 84
5.4. Production of Campoletis flavicincta 84

6. Actions Complementary with Biological Control 85
6.1. Classical Biological Control implemented by Government Intervention 85
6.2. Using Traps with Female Pheromone for Monitoring and Making Decisions 85
6.3. Awareness of Farmers Regarding the Benefits of Biological Control 86
6.4. Suggestions for Continued Training of Rural Extension Agents and Farmers 86

7. E stablishing Small-Scale Biofactories for Regional Use of FAW Biological Control Agents 86
7.1. Small-Scale Production of Baculoviruses Infecting FAW 86
CHAPTER 06 Low-Cost Agronomic Practices and Landscape Management 89
Approaches to Control FAW
1. I ntroduction 90
1.1. Principles of Agroecological Control 90
1.2. Cultural Practices and Landscape Management Approaches 91
in an African Smallholder Context
2. C ultural and Landscape Management Options 92
2.1. Recommended Practices to Control FAW 92
2.2. Practices that Need Further Research Evidence 95
REFERENCES 97
APPENDICES 107
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