Abstract:
The fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a devastating pest of maize which has recently invaded the African continent. Since its first reports in Africa in 2016, it has spread rapidly in Zambia and it is causing extensive damage to maize and other cereal crops. The efficacy of the integration of botanical pesticides with entomopathogenic fungi and synthetic pesticide, on FAW were tested under field conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 11 treatments replicated 4 times. The treatments were 1 Ampligo 150 SC, 2 Garlic oil, 3 Neem oil, 4 Beauvaria bassiana, 5 Garlic oil /neem oil, 6 Ampligo 150 SC / garlic oil , 7 Ampligo 150 SC / neem oil, 8 Ampligo 150 SC / garlic oil / neem oil, 9 B. bassiana / garlic oil / neem oil, 10 B. bassiana / garlic oil / neem Oil / Ampligo 150 SC and 11 the untreated control. Results on FAW infestation showed treatment with Ampligo150 SC and with the rotation of Ampligo150 SC with garlic oil had the lowest percent leaf damage. Ampligo150 SC and the rotation of Ampligo150 SC with garlic oil,as well as garlic oil alone, showed superior results in reducing the mean larvae count. In terms of grain yield, analysis of variance showed a significant difference (p<0.05) at 5% significance among treatments. The rotation treatment of Ampligo150 SC with Garlic oil gave the highest mean grain yield of 5.05tons/ha followed by the sole treatment of Ampligo150 SC (5.02tons/ha). The sole garlic oil treatment gave grain yields of 4.52tons/ha. It was concluded that the effective botanical pesticide,garlic oil, the synthetic pesticide, Ampligo 150 SC and the rotation treatment of Ampligo 150 SC with garlic oil can be used in management of FAW. Therefore, farmers can use synthetic pesticides in rotation with botanicals pesticides to obtain maize yields that are comparable to using synthetic pesticides alone, while reducing the risk of pesticide resistance development in FAW.
