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Fall armyworm pest outbreaks increase in September, experts remind to install moth traps correctly to avoid attracting other pests

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Fall armyworm 0925"September brings many pest warnings, expert: install moth traps correctly, don't attract other pests

From September, fall armyworm numbers surge! The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine stated that September marks the start of the main planting period for domestic hard corn, and recently the number of fall armyworm adults trapped in the Yunlin-Chiayi area has increased significantly. Multiple pest outbreak reports have also been received from the Yunlin area. Farmers are urged to strengthen inspection and control, patrol fields intensively, grasp the early planting period when pest outbreaks are most likely, report as soon as they are found, apply pesticides immediately (organic fields can spray Bacillus thuringiensis for control), and combine with physical control methods such as manually removing egg masses and larvae, in order to avoid expanding the damage and effectively control the epidemic.

Female fall armyworm found in a corn field. (Provided by Hsieh Chia-hung)

September pest report numbers increase, extensive hard corn fields are key

After Chiayi City filled in the last piece of the fall armyworm epidemic puzzle at the end of August, it was officially declared that all of Taiwan, China has been affected. Combined with September coinciding with the domestic second crop hard corn planting period, pest report numbers are showing a rapid growth trend.

Chen Hung-po, head of the Plant Health Division of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, stated that originally the number of fall armyworm reports had been slowing since August, but since mid-September, monitoring statistics from sex pheromone traps set up in production areas and listed affected fields have found that the number of male adults trapped in Yunlin and Chiayi areas has increased significantly, and reported larval cases have also surged. Therefore, it is speculated that new-generation adults have been emerging in the fields. In order to control the epidemic and avoid expanding the damage, farmers are urged to strengthen field inspection and continue cooperating with control operations, so as to "detect early, control early."

According to Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine statistics, as of September 24, the number of confirmed fall armyworm reports totaled 557 cases, and the cumulative number of adults found was 1,396. Currently, a total of 81 cases have been destroyed (21.79 hectares), 449 cases have been treated with pesticides (1,661.68 hectares), and 27 sites remain to be handled.

Number and distribution of fall armyworm adults trapped in fields. (Provided by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine)

Hot climate makes insects reproduce quickly, proper control should be done in the early planting period

The Yunlin County Agriculture Department recently also reminded farmers that corn, sorghum, adlay, rice, sugarcane and forage grass are all high-risk crops for fall armyworm damage, and field patrols and preventive work must be strengthened. Liao Pei-chih, director of the Yunlin County Epidemic Prevention Institute, stated that the number of adults recently captured in Yunlin County's Taixi, Mailiao and Sihu areas has shown an increasing trend. First, hard corn is mostly managed extensively, so field patrol frequency and management attention are naturally lower. Second, July to September each year is the peak period for noctuid moths, and with this year's higher temperatures and shortened insect cycles, reproduction speed may increase.

He pointed out that the main preferred crop of the fall armyworm found in Taiwan, China is still corn, and the Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan areas are the main production areas for the domestic second crop hard corn (declared conversion/contract planting areas are 847 hectares, 4,961 hectares and 6,190 hectares respectively). Farmers should strengthen field management so as not to give the fall armyworm an opening. "Corn is most easily eaten by the pest 14-20 days after planting, because the leaves are the most tender and tasty at the early stage, so control must be done immediately at the early planting stage to immediately bring pest damage under control."

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