Biological control of African armyworm using baculoviruses
Background
The African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) is an economically important pest of pasture grasses and graminaceous crops, including maize, wheat, sorghum and millet. In years when armyworm numbers are at their highest, the devastation caused by this pest is extensive and has a massive impact on the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and neighbouring east African countries. Typically, armyworm caterpillars are controlled using expensive and environmentally-damaging chemical insecticides. However, there is a growing realization that this approach to pest control is no longer desirable or sustainable.
In collaboration with colleagues at the Natural Resources Institute (UK), Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (Tanzania) and CEH-Oxford (UK), we have been exploring the potential for using one of this insect’s natural enemies, a baculovirus, as a novel biocontrol agent. Laboratory and both ground and aerial-spray trails have demonstrated that the virus is an effective biopesticide and ongoing research is aimed at scaling up the technology.