Evaluation of biopesticides against the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda in maize

Abstract

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a serious invasive insect pest affecting global maize production. The use of chemical control extensively results in repeated control failure posing a need for alternate control options. A field trial was conducted in the winter season (November – February) of 2023-24 with an objective to evaluate different biopesticides namely Azadirachtine, Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, and entomopathogenic fungi native to the Chhattisgarh region, India. Among the different treatments evaluated Bacillus showed the most effective control with the highest percent reduction over control in larval population reduction (63.95%, 75.00%) and leaf damage reduction (39.44%, 61.18%) after two rounds of treatment application. Among the native entomopathogenic fungi strains evaluated, Metarrhizium anisopliae 2% 1 107CFU has shown greater potential in controlling FAW maize with larval population (58.53%, 63.16%) and leaf damage reduction (43.90%, 58.22%). The same above treatments are well performed concerning cob damage (21.67%, 21.88%) and yields (1942 kg/ha, 1930 kg/ha) of maize respectively. The present biopesticides evaluated possess great potential in further extensive studies and testing under different conditions.