Latest Resistance management for sustainable agriculture and improved public health

Beet armyworm

Spodoptera exigua

Spodoptera exigua is a highly dispersive, polyphagous species that is a serious pest of vegetable, field and flower crops. Susceptible crops include asparagus, cabbage, pepper, tomato, lettuce, celery, strawberry, eggplant, sugar beet, alfalfa, and cotton.

S. exigua is native to Southeast Asia but is now found in Africa, Southern Europe, Japan, Australia and North America. It lacks a diapause mechanism and can only overwinter successfully in warm regions or in greenhouses. Nevertheless, because of its dispersal abilities,  S. exigua will regularly invade temperate areas and cause damage during the growing season. The larvae are gregarious and may feed in large swarms, causing devastating crop losses. Larvae feed on both foliage and fruit and cause contamination of the crop. As they mature, the larvae become solitary. One generation can be produced in as little as 21-24 days.

Key beet armyworm resources

References

Title Year Author(s) Publisher
Monitoring of resistance in Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from four districts of the Southern Punjab, Pakistan to four conventional and six new chemistry insecticides Vol. 33 pp. 13-20 2012 Ishtiaq M, Saleem MA, Razaq M Crop Protection
Assessment of resistance risk in Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to chlorantraniliprole Vol. 67 (11) pp. 1468-1472 2011 Lai T, Su J Pest Management Science
Biologic Relative Fitness and Genetics of Indoxacarb Resistance in Spodoptera exigua(Hübner) Vol. 18 2011 Wang W, Gao M, Deng Z, Li X, Mu W Scientia Agricultura Sinica

The information provided is based on literature reviews and as such IRAC cannot guarantee or be held accountable for the accuracy of the reports.

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