A Review of the Scientific Literature on the Use of Reproductive Pheromones in the Management of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

Abstract The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas but has recently invaded and established in several African and Asian countries, including India. It successfully oviposits and feeds on a variety of host plants, but its feeding damage to maize, Zea mays L., is of great concern in its native and expanded ranges. Conventional insecticides are the usual means of managing the pest, despite the adverse impacts of these chemistries on nontarget species, as well as human and environmental health. Botanicals, biological agents, cultural practices, host plant resistance, and genetically modified hosts also have been explored for management, as has the use of reproductive pheromones for management, monitoring, and decision making. We conducted a review of available scientific literature on the use of reproductive pheromones for monitoring, mass trapping, disrupting mating, and decision making in the management of S. frugiperda. Assembling this information in one location will facilitate additional research with pheromone-based management strategies and tactics, especially within expanded ranges of the pest.