Reporting of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) is an economically important pest native to tropical and subtropical regions of America. Recently this pest became new native species in India after its first occurrence was reported in 2018 in Karnataka. Its occurrence was noticed in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand and morphological tools were used to identify the pest. The studies revealed that the pest obtained from the region was fall armyworm and herewith we report the invasion of this pest in Dehradun, Uttarakhand and the pest may become a challenge to the farming of hill state.