The Efficacy of Selected Synthetic Insecticides and Botanicals against Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, in Maize
Open accessAbstract
Fall armyworm (FAW) was reported for the first time in Africa in 2016. FAW is widely distributed in Ethiopia, causing significant damage to maize. Nine synthetic insecticides belonging to different chemical groups and 11 pesticidal plants (botanicals) were tested for their efficacy against FAW under laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions. In the laboratory, Radiant, Tracer, Karate, and Ampligo caused over 90% larval mortality 72 h after application. Malathion had moderate activity, causing 51.7% mortality 72 h after application, while Carbaryl was less effective, causing 28% mortality 72 h after application. In the greenhouse experiment, all synthetic insecticides reduced foliar damage to maize compared to the untreated control. Chemical sprays did not affect plant height, stem thickness, or leaf number. The highest fresh weight (471 g) was obtained from plants treated with Radiant. Among the botanicals tested, Azadirachta indica, Schinnus molle, and Phytolacca dodecandra resulted in the highest percentage larval mortality (>95%) 72 h after application. In the field, non-treated control plants showed extensive leaf injury compared to the synthetic insecticide- and botanical-treated plants. The synthetic insecticides and botanicals that showed high efficacy against FAW larvae can be used as components for integrated pest management (IPM) plans for FAW under smallholder farmer conditions in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa.
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Plants treated with Azadirachta indica, Schinnus molle, and Phytolacca dodecandra-derived compounds showed significantly less defoliation by FAW than their untreated counterparts.
“Similar results are reported with traditional insecticidal products; plants treated with Azadirachta indica, Schinnus molle, and Phytolacca dodecandra-derived compounds showed significantly less defoliation by FAW than their untreated counterpart89.”
From Atmospheric cold plasma alters plant traits and negatively affects the growth and development of fall armyworm in rice (2025) · cites this paper as [89]
Section 2.5 identifies all three botanicals as field treatments, and §3.4 reports less FAW leaf injury in botanical-treated plants than in untreated controls. Section 3.4 finds a significant difference among treatments overall, but does not establish that each of the three botanical treatments individually caused significantly less leaf damage than the untreated control. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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References 21 · Cited by 283
Research works printed but not linked: 4
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- [16]Wondimu M. Management of Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) through horizontal placement of stalks and application of Jatropha curcason Maize (Zea mays L.) in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia Master’s Thesis Haramaya University Harer, Ethiopia 2013
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- Authors
- Sisay, B., Tefera, T., Wakgari, M., Ayalew, G., & Mendesil, E.
- Affiliations
- Haramaya University (ET)
- International Center of Insect Physiology & Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Melkasa Agricultural Research Centre, P.O. Box 436, Adama, Ethiopia
- Jimma University (ET)
- Corresponding author
- Tefera, Tadele
- Venue
- Insects
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2019-02-01
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 45
- ISSN
- 2075-4450 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6410260
- OpenAlex
- W2913130128
- Cited by
- 283
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 22.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Insects (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- United States Agency for International Development (AID-OAA-L-15-00001)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Insect Pest Control Strategies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Keywords
- Spodoptera frugiperda, maize, synthetic insecticides, botanical insecticides, larval mortality, Azadirachta indica, Schinus molle, Phytolacca dodecandra, malathion, carbaryl, radiant, integrated pest management, foliar injury, smallholder farmers
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