Biological control of Armyworm (Spodoptera Exempta)
African armyworm (Spodoptera Exempta) is a serious migratory pest of pasture and grain crops in Africa. Two novel control technologies are described to replace environmentally damaging and expensive synthetic chemical pesticides. The first is a process for local mass-production and formulation of S. exempta nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpexNPV), a naturally occurring biological control agent. The second is the validation of neem extracts, a locally available botanical agent. These approaches have now been adopted as national policy in Tanzania. This technology should be of interest to other African countries where armyworm epidemics are a problem (Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, South Africa, etc.).
Author: UK Department For International Development (DFID) & Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Organization: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO TECA
Year: 2020
Geographical coverage: Africa
Type: Practices
Full text available at: https://teca.apps.fao.org/en/technologies/4471/
Content language: English