Corn is a vital global crop, yet its cultivation demands extensive agrochemical inputs, prompting the need for sustainable alternatives. This study investigates the impact of vermicompost (VC) and vermicompost tea (VCT) applications on corn growth, physiology, and resistance to Fall Armyworm (FAW) infestation using advanced optical plant sensors. Six treatments were employed: V0 (control), VC1, VCT100, VC1 + VCT50, VC3, and VC3 + VCT50. During the growing season, plant growth parameters, such as height, chlorophyll content, and spectral reflectance were measured using a chlorophyll meter, fluorometer, porometer, and spectroradiometer. Results indicated that VC-treated plants exhibited superior growth and higher chlorophyll content than control or untreated plants. The VC1 + VCT50-treated plants showed robust resistance to FAW, with no infestation throughout the season, while VC1-treated plants showed delayed attack by FAW. Soil chemical analysis showed that VC and VCT treatments had similar nutrient concentrations as the control. Plant nutrient content was higher in VCT100 compared to all treatments. These findings suggest that the combined application of VC and VCT, particularly at specific application rates, can enhance corn plant health, mitigate pest damage, and optimize yield potential.

The fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda) has been a persistent threat to global food security due to its strong migratory ability and wide range of host plants. However, most current studies on the suitability distribution of FAW focus on extracting suitable areas in specific regions on an annual basis. Consequently, research on the suitability distribution of FAW at a larger scale and with higher temporal resolution is urgently needed to provide data support for early prevention and control. This study differentiated the historical occurrence records of FAW into annual distribution points and seasonal distribution points. By integrating multi-factor environmental data, including climate, soil, topography, and vegetation, we used MaxEnt to establish annual and monthly models. The annual model extracted the annual suitability distribution of FAW worldwide. Among the nine selected environmental factors, temperature seasonality had the greatest impact on the suitability distribution of FAW, with a single-factor contribution rate of 39.87%. The monthly models analyzed the inter-monthly variations in the global suitability distribution of FAW from January to December. The results indicated that FAW's suitability was highest in July and lowest in March. Under the dominant influence of dynamic environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, and vegetation index, the expansion and contraction of FAW's suitability distribution corresponded with seasonal changes, exhibiting significant seasonal fluctuations. Our results can provide FAW control personnel with more practical references for formulating preventive strategies in advance, helping to prevent the potentially incalculable damage FAW could cause to crops in invaded areas.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), fall armyworm (FAW), a polyphagous Noctuid pest, was first reported in Uganda in 2016. Farmers were trained to identify and manage the pest, but there was a lack of information on farmer knowledge, perceptions and practices deployed to control it. Therefore, we conducted a survey to assess maize farmers' knowledge, perceptions and management of the pest during the invasion. We interviewed 1,289 maize farmers from 10 maize-growing agro-ecological zones (AEZ) of Uganda using well-structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using R version 4.2.3. The respondents faced many constraints, including pests, drought, poor soils and labor constraints. Among the pests, FAW was ranked by most (85%) of the respondents as the number one pest problem in maize, and some farmers reported having noticed it way back in 2014. By 2018, more than 90% of the farmers had seen or heard about FAW, and about 80% saw FAW in their fields. The most common FAW symptoms reported by maize farmers were windowing, near tunnel damage, and holes on the cobs. The developmental stages of FAW identified by farmers included eggs (10%), young larvae (78.7%), mature larvae (73.5%) and adult moths (6.7%). Insecticides were the major control tactic, although some farmers used plant extracts, hand-picking, sand, and ash. Farmers sourced information on FAW from various sources, including fellow farmers, radio/TV, extension agents, input dealers, print media, research and NGO extension. There is a need to package clear and uniform information for the farmers and to develop and promote a sustainable solution for FAW management, including harnessing biological control and cultural practices.

Food security, mediated by agricultural pests, puts the world at stake. Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is an invasive polyphagous pest that recently made problems worse. The current study inspects the potency of spinetoram in FAW control programs. Spinetoram is a biocide derived from spinosyns created by soil bacteria, actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa. The susceptibility of S. frugiperda 4th instar larvae against spinetoram was evaluated. Biological impacts on consecutive S. frugiperda stages and related biochemical disturbances following treatment with spinetoram were assessed. The results revealed the high toxicity of spinetoram against S. frugiperda larvae. Larval and pupal growth slowing, increasing mortality rates, adult malformation, fecundity suppression, and hatchability reduction were the most remarkable biological influences after treatment. Spinetoram application caused disruptions in total carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and digestive enzymes. Moreover, significant elevations in acetylcholinesterase, alpha-esterase, beta-esterase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, phenoloxidase, and chitinases were monitored. Spinetoram also resulted in severe histological damage of the midgut characterized by necrosis and sloughing of the epithelial lining, in addition to cytoplasmic vacuolization. The results confirmed the hypothesized potency of spinetoram against S. frugiperda and paved the road to adopting the application of this eco-friendly biocide in FAW control programs.

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda is an invasive polyphagous pest and has annually invaded Korea since it was first reported in 2019. This pest has already acquired resistance to synthetic chemical pesticides. To minimize the damage caused by S. frugiperda, alternative control methods with different mode of action should be developed. In this study, we assessed the virulence of native entomopathogenic fungi against S. frugiperda and investigated application methods to effectively control the target insect. We obtained 93 fungal isolates and assayed their pathogenicity against second instar larvae. Of the 93 isolates, 34 isolates caused high mortality. Based on their virulence, conidial productivity, and thermotolerance, ten isolates were selected for quantitative bioassays. In the bioassays using leaf dipping, all isolate treatments showed high virulence against second instar larvae, but only two isolates, Beauveria bassiana JEF-492 and Sf83 caused 93.3% and 86.7% mortality against fourth instar larvae, respectively. Given the soil-dwelling pupal stage, drenching the soil with Metarhizium anisopliae JEF-157 and B. bassiana JEF-492 from the selected isolates reduced the survival rate of pupae by up to 80% under laboratory conditions. The M. anisopliae JEF-157 and B. bassiana JEF-492 cultured on barley and rice showed high conidial productivity and thermotolerance. Our results show that soil application of M. anisopliae JEF-157 and B. bassiana JEF-492 targeting pupal stage could be effectively combined with the spray on the leaf-dwelling larval stage when the isolates encounter unfavorable abiotic stress on the leaves.

Background Isolation of novel species of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) with biocontrol potential against important insect pests is very important for the sustainable management of economic pests damaging food crops and providing protection to the agricultural environment. This study was aimed to new indigenous EPN isolates from Egyptian agricultural soils and studies its biocontrol potential for further use in the biological control programs. Five out of 15 soil samples obtained from a farm located at the Cairo-Alexandria desert highway was positive for the presence of EPN, using the greater wax moth baiting method. Results Sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of 4 of the nematode isolates suggested that they belong to the species Heterorhabditis indica. However, one isolate does not show a high similarity to any of the H. indica previously recorded in the database of the Gen Bank and hence was identified as a new Heterorhabditis species and was deposited at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and registered under accession no. (OP555450) under the name of Heterorhabditis alii. This new species was also registered in the ZooBank under the registration link of: LSID urn: lsid: zoobank.org: act: 306F9D57-CC30-4B8E-8B19-4F0E42B08F34. No males were found in this species. Morphological characterization using the light microscope (LM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed the identification of this nematode as a new species of the genus Heterorhabditis. Moreover, virulence of this new species against the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was tested in comparison with the foreign EPN species, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (HP88) and the local Heterorhabditis indica (Mango 2 isolate) and proved to be more effective against this devastative insect pest than the two compared species. Conclusions The present study found out a new species of the EPN genus, Heterorhabditis in Egypt. Our results were confirmed by both morphological and molecular analyses. The efficacy of this new species against the FAW proved to be a potent and safe biocontrol agent that can be used in biological control programs against this invasive insect pest of corn in Egypt and other global countries.