On May 21, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, the Secretary-General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), organized a meeting on the biodiversity control of an invasive species, Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda).
Fall Armyworm originated in America and was first discovered in Nigeria, Africa, in early 2016. By the beginning of 2018, it had spread to most areas of Africa. In 2019, many Asian countries, including China, were affected by it. It is expected that this year will cause significant losses to agriculture. Fall Armyworm can eat more than 80 crops for a living, and most like to eat corn. Data released by the FAO show that without control, Fall Armyworm can cause more than 300 million people to starve worldwide, resulting in an annual economic loss of $4.8 billion in corn alone.
The information released by the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center on May 14 shows that the Fall Armyworm has invaded 13 provinces. By the May 10, 261 counties, 61 cities and 13 provinces have found that the larvae harmed maize, with a preliminary statistical data of 1080,000 mu.
The damage of this invasive alien species is very serious. Since the summer of 2018, when CBCGDF found the situation and took the lead in warning us that China should be careful about the invasion of this species, it has been proved that they are rapidly invading China at an unpredictable rate. They were first discovered in Yunnan in January 2019. At present, the main measure of our country is chemical control. However, can a more integrated, nature-based solutions be adopted? For example, studies have shown that beneficial insects such as wasps (parasitoids) can kill the eggs and larvae of the fall armyworm, and the efficiency is as high as 56%. So, can we find the "opposite" creatures of the fall armyworm on the land of China, that is, who eats them? In response, relevant colleagues conducted an investigation and reported at the meeting.
At the meeting, Dr. Zhou listened to the reports of relevant colleagues, carried out countermeasures’ analysis, and deployed how to comprehensively use natural-based solutions to research and control this alien invasive species.
(Photo source: Internet)
Original Chinese article:
http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/8682.html
By / Li Xue