Autumn Armyworm is a transboundary pest that has increasingly spread worldwide over the past few years, affecting food security in many African countries.

To respond to this threat, since the Fall Army Worm entered Africa in 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation through the Crisis Cell has established and continued until the date of this article to confront and fully prepare for all expected possibilities of this dangerous pest and take all necessary and immediate measures to manage.

Fall Armyworm in Egypt. 

All the measures taken helped delay the entry and spread of the pest in Egypt until April 2019, and the efforts of the Agricultural Pesticides Committee were represented in the plan of the Plant Protection Research Institute of the Agricultural Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation by following scientific methods. 

Since 2017, we have monitored, inventoried, defined, and used all modern technologies and conducted all risk analyses of Fall Armyworms by the local and international rules and standards relevant to the registration of a new pest. All of this effectively and strongly contributed to delaying the spread of the pest in the governorates of Egypt until 2021.

What is the original home of the Fall Armyworm?

The Fall Armyworm is native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas (Western Hemisphere).

When and how did the Fall Armyworm enter Africa?

It entered Africa in 2016, and in just 22 months (almost two years), it had spread to 44 African countries and is now in 56 countries worldwide as of 08/2019.

It is believed that it entered Africa by importing crops that represent the host of Autumn Armyworm, such as grass family plants (corn, rice, etc.) to Africa.

 What is a Fall Armyworm?

The Autumn armyworm is an insect of the Noctuidae family, which belongs to the order Lepidoptera and the genus Spodoptera. There are 36 species in this genus, three of which are in Egypt: the major cotton leaf worm, the smaller cotton leaf worm, and the flatworm. The fall armyworm is the green and fourth new species since 2019.

The multi-familial fall armyworm can feed on 350 plant families belonging to 76 plant families. It is a migratory pest that tends to gather until the fourth age, after which it spreads, causing excellent crop damage.

 Butterflies are multi-mating, and males mate more than once. Butterflies can fly long distances of up to 100 km per night before the egg-laying period, and the total distance reaches 500 km throughout their lifespan (approximately 10 days). The rate of flight increases with the increase in the age of the butterflies until it reaches its peak on the fifth day and then gradually decreases under the maturity of the female reproductive system.

 The Autumn Armyworm does not hibernate or dormant. According to the data of the exploratory committee at the Plant Protection Research Institute, the Fall Armyworm was widespread in most governorates of Upper Egypt and some governorates of Nile Valley and Delta in the Arab Republic of Egypt until November 2021.

What distinguishes the larvae of the Autumn Armyworm from those of the Great Cotton Leafworm?

1-The presence of an inverted Y sign on the head of the larvae

3-The presence of four points on the dorsal surface of the eighth ventral ring.  

First, it is not preferable to use plant protection materials except when absolutely necessary and in consultation with specialists (such as researchers and pesticide applicators approved by the Agricultural Pesticides Committee at the level of the Arab Republic of Egypt).

 Second, all plant protection materials recommended by the Agricultural Pesticides Committee (www.apc.gov.eg) for Cotton Leaf Major can be used as effective plant protection materials for Fall Armyworms until new recommendations are issued that are more specific to Armyworms. 

It is also possible to follow the recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which issues them in cooperation with member states worldwide to determine practical control recommendations and send them to farmers in all countries suffering from FAW infestation.

Calibration, timing, and method of spraying are all crucial factors for the control's success. Plant protection materials should be sprayed preferably after 16:00 to increase their effectiveness for the most extended period. 

This pest is resistant to many pesticides in its original habitat and is also resistant to genetically engineered plants.

What plant protection products can be used to control Fall armyworms?

1-Endoxacarb 14.5% SC at 5 mL/10 liters of water.

2-Emamectin Benzoate 5%SG at 4g/10L water.

3-Aspenosad 45% SC at a rate of 3 ml/10 liters of water.

4-Coragin 18.5% EC at a rate of 4 ml/10 liters of water.

5-Lambda thihalothrin 5% EC at a rate of 10 ml/10 liters of water.

Can Fall Armyworm be eradicated?

In general, it is impossible to eradicate any pest. Still, it is possible to reduce its damage by reducing its number to below the critical economic limit of the infection by making the conditions unsuitable for its reproduction and spread.

Since the female butterflies of the Autumn Armyworm have a high ability to fly, they have already spread across the African continent and infected many crops, the most important of which is maize, in millions of acres of crops, so it is difficult to remove them with the large number and widespread.

In addition to cotton, alfalfa, and vegetable crops, grass family plants are considered the most important hosts of this pest.

When should plant protection materials be used to control FAW on maize?

The critical economic limit must be defined and recommended for each stage of the corn plant and for each type of plant protection material, and the cost may vary greatly accordingly. Moreover, the cost of treatment with the pesticide must be equal to or less than the value of the increase in the crop that the farmer will receive in return for the pesticide treatment, considering the actual value of the prices that the farmer will obtain (profit).  

1-The presence of stabbing (eggs) by 5%.

How is the economic critical limit calculated?

1-W-shaped plant sampling.

Yes, all the biological enemies that attack the cotton leaf worm major can be used in the biological control of Fall Armyworm. Predators such as the lion manta and Abu Eid can use it. Here, we mention and emphasize that the egg parasite called Trichogramma that exists in Egypt currently cannot be used in biological control of the Fall Armyworm because females of the Fall Armyworm cover their eggs with fluff (scales) that prevent the parasite from parasitizing the eggs.

Can a predator lion aphid be used in the biological control of a Fall Armyworm?

Yes, the aphid predator can be used as an effective and successful component of the integrated control of the fall armyworm because it is more effective in combating it. It is characterized by its ease of breeding and prey on the eggs and young larvae of the fall armyworm.  

What is the number of Fall Armyworm strains in Egypt?

In Egypt, there are two strains of Fall Armyworm: corn and rice.

Is a corn crop infected with Fall Armyworm safe to feed on?

Infected corn is safe because most of the infection is in the leaves. In contrast, infection with the cobs (female inflorescence) is unsafe because it becomes more dangerous due to the possibility of fungal toxins such as aflatoxins.

Are there fall armyworm control programs?

Yes, the Committee against Fall Armyworm in 2020, through the Agricultural Pesticides Committee and the Plant Protection Research Institute of the Agricultural Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has prepared five programs for control of the most essential crops infested by Fall Armyworm, which are corn, cotton, vegetables, sugar cane, and alfalfa.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a three-year global initiative to combat FAW that places a new and significant focus on prevention. As the body that sets international standards for plant health, the IPPC is called upon to play a critical role in implementing global action and reducing the risk of introducing more pests into new areas.

What is the fall armyworm control program on maize?

First, in the seedling stage and up to 50 days from planting, and in the presence of infection, it is recommended to spray with one of the insect growth regulators or one of the plant protection materials belonging to the phosphorous group, such as chlorpyrifos or methyl chlorpyrifos.

Secondly, it is recommended that one of the plant protection materials belonging to the pyrethroid group be sprayed during the stage of formation (cobs) of female inflorescences.

Third, spraying is not recommended at the fruit growth and maturity stage.

Is there a mobile (mobile) Play Store program for inventory, monitoring, tracking, identification, and reporting?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (the regional office and the FAO office in Egypt) did a named program.