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Pests and Diseases

Fall Armyworm

Insect and Mite Pests of Crops

A moth (Spodoptera frugiperda) whose caterpillars feed on more than 80 plant species, with maize, sorghum and rice as the most damaged crops. Native to the Americas, it spread to sub-Saharan Africa in 2016 and then across Asia and Australia within a few years, and its rapid dispersal and pesticide resistance have made it one of the costliest crop pests of the early twenty-first century, with African maize losses alone estimated in the billions of dollars annually.

Facts
Classification
Agent Kind
Insect or Mite 1
Quarantine Status
Quarantine Pest (ISPM 5) 2
Connections

Associated With

Maize, Crops

The fall armyworm, since its rapid global spread from the Americas, is now one of the most damaging pests of maize worldwide.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Fall Armyworm (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Opening definition paragraph
    The fall armyworm is a species in the order Lepidoptera and one of the species of the fall armyworm moths distinguished by their larval life stage. The term "armyworm" can refer to several species, often describing the large-scale invasive behavior of the species' larval stage. It is regarded as a pest and can damage and destroy a wide variety of crops, which causes large economic damage.
  • lead description
    A moth (Spodoptera frugiperda) whose caterpillars feed on more than 80 plant species, with maize, sorghum and rice as the most damaged crops.
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2. Spodoptera frugiperda, Categorization (EPPO Global Database)
Categorization table, EU row
Quote, Categorization table, EU row
Quarantine pest ((EU) 2019/2072 Annex II A)
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