LAHORE: Officially acknowledging the outbreak of fall armyworm (FAW) in Pakistan, a new pest causing damage to maize crop, the Department of Plant Protection Pakistan (DPP) has declared the FAW-affected areas under official control and implementation of integrated pest management programme as per FAO recommendations to control and eradicate this new pest.

"Monitoring of FAW through intensive survey and pheromones traps will continue in corn growing as well as non-corn growing areas," said a letter addressed to the provincial governments and agricultural institutes by the DPP, the government of Pakistan.

Sources told Business Recorder on Friday that the technical specialists of DPP in collaboration of scientists and experts of CABI conducted special and specific survey in corn-growing areas of Punjab and Sindh for detection of FAW and morphological, taxonomic, and molecular studies of some specimens collected from Okara, Sahiwal, Khanewal of Punjab and District Tando Allah Yar and District Mirpur Khas of Sindh revealed their identity as Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae-EPPO A1 List).

The survey shows its few occurrences in corn fields mixed with other species of armyworm i.e., Spodoptera litura and American bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera. Thus, the DPP officially declares the pest status of Spodoptera frugiperda as: present and few occurrences in corn growing belt of the above mentioned districts in Punjab and Sindh, the letter adds.

The letter maintained that in view of above, the DPP in collaboration with Punjab pest warning department and Sindh plant protection department declares FAW affected areas under official control and implements integrated pest management programme as per guidance document of FAO to control and eradicate it on war footing basis.

It is also learnt that a meeting of government departments to finalize an action plan against this deadly pest will be held on October 10, 2020.

Meanwhile, Rashid Ahmad, Executive Director of Crop Life Pakistan, while talking to Business Recorder said that the acknowledgement of Fall Army Worm (FAW) presence in the country by the government was long overdue. This pest poses an imminent threat to maize farmers across the country, having already wreaked havoc in some locations. All stakeholders need to collaborate for increased awareness and management of FAW to ensure food security and sustainable agriculture.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020