First-generation fall armyworms have established in Europe, causing significant damage to various crops, including maize. These fast-moving pests prefer feeding on maize, sorghum, and other essential food crops. This post highlights the experience of Marta, an organic farmer from Spain, combating fall armyworms.
Marta’s maize fields suffered pest outbreaks despite efforts with traditional pest control methods. She successfully prevented further pest damage using biocontrol solutions like Novobac’s Bt Insecticide. Marta’s story showcases the effectiveness of biocontrol strategies in stopping fall armyworm damage.
In this article, we’ll also go through the fall armyworm life cycle. How to get rid of fall armyworms? Well, you will get the answer!
Marta is into rearing of crops in a family farm located in Catalonia where she practices crop rotation and grows maize. First, in early summer, she saw that some young plants of maize had different problems, the leaves of which had jagged edges and small, round holes. Every next day, the issue evolved and became worst, for some parts of the crop that you could literally observe the previous day, were gone the following morning. She consulted her local agronomist to determine the problem; that was the arrival of fall armyworms.
This pest is well known for its extensive damage feeding habits. They feed on leaves, tassels and even the ears of the maize, causing greatly reduced yields unlike other caterpillars. Staying put was not an option because within a matter of days most of the crop could be ruined Marta had to act fast. But having being an organic farmer, she was open to look for more natural means of neutralizing the pest.
The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) undergoes complete metamorphosis, including eggs, larva, pupa, and adult moth stages. Female fall armyworms lay 100-200 eggs in clusters, covering them with scales on leaf surfaces. Fall armyworm larvae hatch within 2-5 days, progressing through six instars over 14-30 days. These larvae feed aggressively on crops like maize, sorghum, and rice, causing severe damage.
Fully grown larvae create earthen chambers, entering the pupal stage, which lasts 7-14 days. Adult moths emerge, reproduce immediately, completing their life cycle within 30 days in warmer conditions. The ability to complete the above lifecycle within this short time makes fall armyworms spread crop damage.
The strategy that marked Marta’s success process was identification accuracy. Fall armyworms have distinctive physical characteristics:
Color: Early instars are pale green, being darker green and brownish at the later stages.
Head Markings: A telltale “Y” mark at the head.
Behavior: These insects are nocturnal feeders but during the day they can be seen hiding particularly in the whorl of the leaf.
Early detection is critical to control fall armyworm damage. Finally, Marta understood that it is possible to scout at the seedling stage and check under the leaves and the whorls to try and determine the infestation before it becomes worse.
Marta’s story is not exceptional, however, and demonstrates a pattern that has become all too familiar at UM. Farmers in Southern Europe face devastation from fall armyworms, especially in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Fall armyworm egg growth poses a significant challenge for farmers trying to manage this destructive pest. Rising temperatures from climate change accelerate fall armyworm development, pushing them into northern farming regions. Conventional pest control using organophosphorus chemicals fails due to pests’ ability to develop chemical resistance quickly. Farmers now adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques to ensure effective biological control of fall armyworms.
Largely for ecological reasons, Marta decided on controlling the pest by introducing biocontrol measures. Her agronomist advised her to go for Novobac’s Bt Insecticide, a microbial insecticide of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) for biological control of fall armyworm. Bt is a naturally occurring bacterium that contains proteins that are toxic to pests, such as caterpillars like the fall armyworm and more importantly can be eaten without harm, by humans, pets, and other beneficial insects. Fall armyworm control needs to be done in a very sustainable manner so that no good bacteria are affected.
Marta used the bt organic insecticide in early stage of the infestation and spread it uniformly over the infected areas. When the larvae consumed the leaves that were treated with Bt ,the proteins harmlessly broke in the gut of the larvae, starving the caterpillars and killing them within days. Most importantly Marta insisted on procedures highlighted by the product where she re-applied the product after a rain and during the early larval stage.
Timing: They’re most effective when larvae are small, so apply at first sign of larvae.
Coverage: Make sure to cover all the leaves especially those which bear larvae in whorls.
Reapplication: To increase effectiveness, it should be reapplied after heavy rain or irrigation has occurred.
Indeed, Marta was able to reduce the infestation by using bacillus thuringiensis product, the best insecticide for armyworms, but she understood it was not enough. She incorporated additional IPM practices:
Cultural Practices: In an attempt to solve the problem, Marta changed her planting dates such that she wanted to plant maize during the coolest period of the year.
Trap Crops: She sowed millet around the fringes of the field, to lure the fall armyworms to avoid the maize.
Biological Control: He succeeded in using Eco friendly alternatives such as Bt, natural predators such as the parasitic wasps that deposit their eggs in the belly of the armyworm larvae hence cannot grow up.
Because of her fast thinking and the application of environmentally friendly measures, Marta was able to protect a large percentage of its maize crop. Novobac’s bacillus thuringiensis product, the best insecticide for fall armyworm proved to work best for her and became an effective and environment friendly solution to her means to control the spread of the insects to affect her plants while still sticking with her organic farming business.
The lessons are learned on the effectiveness of proper early detection of the pest, correct use of biocontrol products, and the combination of different approaches for pest management. Even though farmers have not fully managed to control the menace of the fall army worms, from the experience of Marta they managed to overcome it by minimizing the use of chemical-based pesticides and maintaining the environment when approaching it.
Controlling and eradicating fall armyworms in Europe calls for the use of science based and sustainable agriculture. Marta has shown the effects of using the native farming practices in hand with the new biocontrol tools such as Novobac’s Bt Insecticide, the best insecticide for fall armyworm, without worrying regarding how to get rid of fall armyworms as it will be taken care properly.. Thus, farmers and all stakeholders can enhance crop protection and support a more favorable future in regard to agricultural vulnerability. Understanding fall armyworm life cycle and controlling it can ensure good crop yield.
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