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Avoid late or off-season planting and dont plant new crop near infested fields
Avoid staggered planting (planting at different dates in the same field), as this provides a continous source of food for the pest
Use of fertilizers for rice plants to be vigorous and able to compensate for damage done and apply at the right time
Use short maturing rice varieties that are less preferred by the fall armyworm to escape the pest infestation that might occur later in the season
Establish your seedbeds far from large areas of weeds
Reduce larval infestations by effective management of nearby grasses. Remove weeds from areas outside of fields and plough all fallow land
Conserve shelters and flowering plants on the edges for beneficial insects such as predators and parasitoids
Rapid disposal of rice residues after harvest
Monitoring
Sample plants every 10 feet along a line across the field and repeat this process in a second and third area, paying close attention to the crop margins
Caterpillars: light green to dark brown with longitudinal stripes. Dark head with an upside down pale Y-shaped marking on the front. The second-to-last body segment has four dark spots forming a square (3rd instar and above)
After germination of seedlings, scout fields weekly for larvae on plants and whether the problem is widespread or confined to certain areas or edges.
Fall armyworm are more likely to be a problem in late-planted fields and in fields surrounded by pasture.
Fall armyworm will feed initially on the foliage, then move to spikelets within the panicles, therefore they should also be monitored
Use a pheromone with the Universal Bucket Trap to estimate adult moth population
Direct Control
On small-scale farms, hit or shake the foliage to make the fall armyworm larvae drop into the water and drown in paddy rice
In paddy rice, flood infested fields for a few hours to kill the armyworm larvae.
Use microbial biopesticides based on bacteria, fungi and viruses if available
CREATED/UPDATED: April 2018 PRODUCED BY: Plantwise
