Survey and surveillance of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and its associated natural enemies (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in maize in Anand district of Gujarat

Field surveys were conducted during kharif, 2019 and rabi, 2019-20 to document the fall armyworm (FAW) incidence and damage in maize fields of Anand district of Gujarat. The highest pest incidence and damage was recorded in maize fields of Khambhat taluka of Anand district during the study, while the lowest pest incidence and damage was recorded in Tarapur taluka. During kharif season, the highest pest incidence and damage was recorded in August month and during rabi season, the highest incidence of FAW and its damage in various maize fields was observed in November. It was noticed that the pest incidence was high in kharif season compared to rabi season. The significant differences were noticed with regard to FAW larval population and plant damage levels between the two seasons of the study. During the survey, the natural enemies of FAW viz., Chelonus sp., Coccinellids, Forficula sp., Eocanthecona sp., Cosmolestes sp., Spider (Oxyopes sp.) and Geocoris sp. were recorded. Similarly, Bacillus thuringiensis, Metarhizium (Nomuraea) rileyi and Nucleo Ployhedrosis Virus (NPV) infected FAW larvae were also noticed.