Detected in Karnataka, this pest may spread across SE Asia, impact millions

Fearing its devastating impact on the food security of millions, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has warned about the growing risk of fall armyworm (spodoptera frigeperda), an invasive agricultural pest, spreading across South East Asia.     

Detected first in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka in May this year, fall armyworm devoured the entire maize crop sown in the demonstration field of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences (UAHS). Native to the Americas, fall armyworm has already spread across Africa, where it was first detected in early 2016. By early 2018, all but 10