Corn+Soybean Digest Logo

A fatal attraction can control fall armyworm

Having issues with fall armyworms? A university in Brazil may have a solution.

March 3, 2021

3 Min Read
3-02-21 fall armyworm.jpg

A recent scientific study found that a proprietary blend of naturally occurring moth attractants is effective for controlling, the fall armyworm.

The blend is now marketed in Brazil under the brand name Noctovi.

Entomologists from the University of Grande Dourados in Brazil found that Noctovi mixed with tiny amounts of a conventional insecticide controlled populations of the fall armyworm. This in return reduced damage to corn crops at all eight test sites in the Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Cerrado agricultural region of Brazil.

3-03-21 armyworm.jpg

The study was published online in the Journal of Agricultural Science, a publication of the Canadian Center of Science and Education.

The control of the fall armyworm was achieved by a technique called attract-and-kill.

Noctovi contains a blend of compounds released in nature by plants that are highly attractive to the fall armyworm and other moths, targeting closely related moths of the Noctuid family which includes cutworms, armyworms, and owlet moths.

By attracting and inducing the adult moth pests to feed on the formulation, the amount of insecticide necessary for control in the area treated with Noctovi is reduced by more than 90%.

 The Noctovi formulation does not attract bees, which are left unharmed.

 “Control of FAW (fall armyworm) adult populations would be more efficient if the attracting and killing technique was incorporated in integrated pest management (IPM) programs,” the study said.

Related:Do your late-season soybeans need an insecticide application?

 ISCA, Inc., an international green agtech company headquartered in Riverside, Calif., developed and manufactures Noctovi for distribution in Brazil by UPL.

 In recent years, the fall armyworm has spread from its native range in South America to most counties in Africa, into the Middle East, and then throughout central and east Asia and Australia, with the larvae feeding on corn, soybean, cotton, tomatoes, and other crops.

The species has been difficult to control because it has developed resistance to most conventional insecticides and those expressed by genetically modified (GM) crops. In fact, the research in Brazil found Noctovi to be most effective when used in conjunction with GM corn, which expresses the insecticidal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

Unlike conventional insecticides, Noctovi does not require the entire field to be sprayed. Once mixed with an approved insecticide, a line of Noctovi about 100 meters long will protect about 2.5 acres of crops because the attractants draw in the armyworm moths to feed on the formulation, which kills them.

Related:Why you should scout before pulling trigger on insecticides

The results were gathered during the 2018-2019 agricultural year. The researchers found that late-life stage non-Bt corn plants treated with Noctovi had about half the caterpillar feeding damage when compared to the plants in control areas that received no treatments.

Statistically, Noctovi mixed with the insecticide methomyl applied in bands performed as well as area-wide treatments with the same insecticide. This allowed for the insecticide outputs to be reduced by 90 percent to achieve the same level of fall armyworm control.

 ISCA, Inc. is a green agtech company that provides the next generation of insect control products for world agriculture by harnessing the power of pheromones and other semiochemicals emitt

The results were gathered during the 2018-2019 agricultural year. The researchers found that late-life stage non-Bt corn plants treated with Noctovi had about half the caterpillar feeding damage when compared to the plants in control areas that received no treatments.

Statistically, Noctovi mixed with the insecticide methomyl applied in bands performed as well as area-wide treatments with the same insecticide. This allowed for the insecticide outputs to be reduced by 90 percent to achieve the same level of fall armyworm control.

 ISCA, Inc. is a green agtech company that provides the next generation of insect control products for world agriculture by harnessing the power of pheromones and other semiochemicals emitted in nature by plants and animals that manipulate the behavior of targeted insect species.

Source: University of Grande Dourados, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset. 

Read more about:

Insecticide
Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like