Fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda) is a pest native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas. Since 2016, FAW has rapidly distributed itself throughout areas of Africa and Asia.

If FAW enters and establishes in Australia, it would pose a significant threat to Australia’s vegetable industry as it causes damage to a wide range of crops, with it known to feed on more than 350 host plant species across 76 families.

While maize, sorghum and other field crops (including cotton, sugarcane, rice and wheat) are the preferred hosts for FAW, multiple fruit and vegetable crops are significantly affected, including sweet corn, beetroot, tomato, potato, apples and oranges.

The damage caused to crops varies depending on the stage of FAW development.

Young caterpillars feed on vegetative tissue surrounding the site of egg hatching. This causes plant defoliation, particularly on heavily infested plants.

As the caterpillars develop, they tend to attack the plant’s reproductive structures and terminal points. This causes significant crop damage and yield reduction.

In heavily infested areas, crop yield reductions associated with FAW feeding damage has been estimated up to 100 percent in regions in Chad, Africa and up to 72 percent in Argentina, South America.

In recent years, FAW has made rapid movement outside of its native range. In 2016, FAW was confirmed in Western and Central Africa.

In a matter of years, FAW spread throughout the African continent, resulting in 44 African countries confirming the presence of the pest. Subsequently, FAW has been introduced to multiple countries throughout Asia, including Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

While FAW has not yet been identified in Australia, it poses a risk of entry into the country.

Find out more about FAW in this article which first appeared in the Summer 2019/20 edition of Vegetables Australia, the leading magazine for the Australian vegetable industry.