Application of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Management of Fall Armyworm Infesting Maize in Ghana: A Greenhouse Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Nematology Lab, Plant Health Division

2 CSIR-Crops Research Institute, P.O. Box 3785, Kumasi, Ghana.

Abstract

Fall armyworm infestation poses a serious threat to the food security and livelihoods of smallholder maize farmers in Ghana. The most sustainable management approach is Integrated Pest Management. Entomopathogenic nematodes have the potential for inclusion in IPM to manage crop insect pests. The study aimed at finding a sustainable option to manage fall armyworms in maize. Maize plant rhizosphere soils were sampled from maize farms in 2019 for entomopathogenic nematodes. On an acre maize farm, 10 core soil samples were collected using soil augur at <20 cm soil depth and composited weighing 0.5 kg. Each composite soil sample was supplied with five 5th instar stage fall armyworm larvae and incubated (25℃; 85% RH) in a dark room. After 4 days, the fall armyworm larvae cadavers were removed from the soil for culturing and collection of infective entomopathogenic nematodes using modified White traps. A partitioned plant house accommodated each of three treatments: (T1) Supa ataka (Emamectin benzoate), (T2) Entomopathogenic nematodes, and (T3) No application – Control. The third instar fall armyworm larvae were added to the maize seedlings 14 days after emergence. The data collected were subjected to Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) in IBM SPSS Statistics 21. About 99.9 and 99.4% of the variability in the dependent variables in a canonical MANOVA derived estimate is accounted for by the treatment effect in experiments one and two respectively. Entomopathogenic nematode application against fall armyworm is promising for incorporation into IPM strategies against the pest. This will minimize over-reliance on synthetic insecticides in maize production.

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