Global genomic signature reveals the evolution of fall armyworm in the Eastern hemisphere.

The major plant pest fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is native to the Americas and has colonized Africa and Asia within the Eastern hemisphere since 2016, causing severe damage to multiple agricultural crop species. However, the genetic origin of these invasive populations requires more in-depth exploration. We analysed genetic variation across the genomes of 280 FAW individuals from both the Eastern hemisphere and the Americas.

Understanding the impact of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith) leaf damage on maize yields.

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith), a serious pest of maize and other cereals, recently invaded the Old World potentially threatening the food security and incomes of millions of smallholder farmers.

Low Impact of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Across Smallholder Fields in Malawi and Zambia.

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith), a serious pest of cereals from the Americas, has spread across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia since 2016, threatening the food security and incomes of millions of smallholder farmers. To measure the impact of S. frugiperda under different management approaches, we established on-farm trials across 12 landscapes (615-1,379 mm mean annual rainfall) in Malawi and Zambia during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons.

The distribution of covert microbial natural enemies of a globally invasive crop pest, fall armyworm, in Africa: Enemy release and spillover events.

Invasive species pose a significant threat to biodiversity and agriculture world-wide. Natural enemies play an important part in controlling pest populations, yet we understand very little about the presence and prevalence of natural enemies during the early invasion stages. Microbial natural enemies of fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda are known in its native region, however, they have not yet been identified in Africa where fall armyworm has been an invasive crop pest since 2016.

Microsatellites reveal that genetic mixing commonly occurs between invasive fall armyworm populations in Africa.

Understanding the population structure and movements of the invasive fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is important as it can help mitigate crop damage, and highlight areas at risk of outbreaks or evolving insecticide resistance. Determining population structure in invasive FAW has been a challenge due to genetic mutations affecting the markers traditionally used for strain and haplotype identification; mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COIB) and the Z-chromosome-linked Triosephosphate isomerase (Tpi). Here, we compare the results from COIB and Tpi markers with highly variable repeat regions (microsatellites) to improve our understanding of FAW population structure in Africa.

Comparing, evaluating and combining statistical species distribution models and CLIMEX to forecast the distributions of emerging crop pests.

Background: Forecasting the spread of emerging pests is widely requested by pest management agencies in order to prioritise and target efforts. Two widely used approaches are statistical Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and CLIMEX, which uses ecophysiological parameters. Each have strengths and weaknesses.

Genetic structure and insecticide resistance characteristics of fall armyworm populations invading China.

The rapid wide-scale spread of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) has caused serious crop losses globally. However, differences in the genetic background of subpopulations and the mechanisms of rapid adaptation behind the invasion are still not well understood. Here we report the assembly of a 390.

Farmer perception of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiderda J.E. Smith) and farm-level management practices in Zambia.

Background: This paper documents farmer perceptions and management practices for fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiderda J.E. Smith), providing a baseline for the development of sustainable pest management strategies.