NEWS
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Zimbabwe. They are believed to have arrived in Africa in drought and famine relief maize imported from the Americas. A number of pesticides have been registered to combat them. The Fall Armyworm gets its name from the way the worms march from grasslands to crops. They are also known as Amerikaanse Kommandowurm. A pest action group has been established to monitor the
Fall Armyworm eggs on a mielie leaf impact. The pest flies on prevailing winds, has a short life-cycle, and attacks a wide range of crops, rendering it a serious risk to national food security. There have been records of damage on spinach, sugarcane, rice, lucerne, sunflower, wheat, cabbages, pepper, soya, potatoes, pastures and grasses. However, it is particularly fond of maize and can devour almost the whole plant. So what are you looking for? Eggs are laid in batches of 20-
250 on both sides of leaves. The insect goes through six
Worm damage to a mielie stem developmental stages from egg to moth stage, and is difficult to differentiate from some other worms. Even the moths are similar to other species. What you will be able to identify is the damage that the pest is doing to your mielies. It attacks the leaves and damages the silk. It then proceeds to eat into the ear of corn from the outside and inside. It feeds at
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