Telenomus Remus , a Candidate Parasitoid for the Biological Control of Spodoptera Frugiperda in Africa, is already Present on the Continent

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 4; p. 92
• Main Authors: Kenis, Marc, du Plessis, Hannalene, Van den Berg, Johnnie, Ba, Malick Niango, Goergen, Georg, Kwadjo, Koffi Eric, Baoua, Ibrahim, Tefera, Tadele, Buddie, Alan, Cafà, Giovanni, Offord, Lisa, Rwomushana, Ivan, Polaszek, Andrew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29.03.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Biological control; Butterflies & moths; Cereals; Control methods; Corn; Crops; egg parasitism; Eggs; fall armyworm; Importation; Insecticides; International regulations; invasive species; Laboratories; maize; Morphology; Parasitoids; Permanent establishment; Pests; Polls & surveys; Spodoptera frugiperda; Telenomus remus; United Kingdom > UK; Asia; United States > US; Niger; Europe; Africa; South Africa; India; egg parasitism; fall armyworm; Spodoptera frugiperda; biological control; Telenomus remus; maize; invasive species
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects10040092

The fall armyworm, , a moth originating from tropical and subtropical America, has recently become a serious pest of cereals in sub-Saharan Africa. Biological control offers an economically and environmentally safer alternative to synthetic insecticides that are being used for the management of this pest. Consequently, various biological control options are being considered, including the introduction of , the main egg parasitoid of in the Americas, where it is already used in augmentative biological control programmes. During surveys in South, West, and East Africa, parasitized egg masses of were collected, and the emerged parasitoids were identified through morphological observations and molecular analyses as . The presence of in Africa in at least five countries provides a great opportunity to develop augmentative biological control methods and register the parasitoid against . Surveys should be carried out throughout Africa to assess the present distribution of on the continent, and the parasitoid could be re-distributed in the regions where it is absent, following national and international regulations. Classical biological control should focus on the importation of larval parasitoids from the Americas.