SENA CATERPILLAR

Jan. 24, 2019

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed relevant authorities to act on a war footing to control the Sena caterpillar, which poses a massive threat to the agricultural crops. He also announced setting up of a Presidential task force to supervise the program.

About:

Scientific name: Spodoptera frugiperda.
Common name: Fall Armyworm; Sena Caterpillar.
Distribution:
- It is an insect native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
- It was first detected in Central and Western Africa in 2016. However, because of trade and the moth’s strong flying ability, it has spread to 44 African countries.
- Indian scenario: It was first detected in Karnataka in May 2018, making it the first reported finding of the pest in Asia. It has been reported to have spread as far as West Bengal and Gujarat.
Damage to crop: In its larva stage, it can cause significant damage to crops, if not well managed. It primarily affects maize, but can feed on more than 80 additional species of plants (rice, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton).
Control:
- It can be controlled with insecticides (like lambda-cyhalothrin), through natural predators (such as coccinellid beetles which feed on FAW) or by inter-cropping.
- Farmer in the Americas, using Sustainable management practices have been managing FAW in their crops for many centuries.