Fall armyworm on maize (Credit: S. Toepfer)

A typical effect of heavy damage caused by fall armyworm caterpillars to maize (Credit: S. Toepfer)

Entire maize fields can be threatened by fall armyworm caterpillars (Credit: S. Toepfer)

All five instars of fall armyworms prefer maize, but can also feed on many other plants (Credit: S. Toepfer)

Tiny worms, called entomopathogenic nematodes, are highly virulent to fall armyworms and can be used as biocontrol agents against this pest (Credit: S. Toepfer)

Mating disruption through pheromone sprays against fall armyworm in maize are another potential solution (Credit: S. Toepfer)

EUFAWREADY: Spotlight on plant priority pest: Enhancing Europe`s readiness for managing fall armyworm, an invasive pest threat

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Project Overview

So, what’s the problem

Over the last 20 years, the fall armyworm, a voracious insect pest, has invaded Africa and Asia. Its caterpillars can feed on a broad spectrum of staple crops, but they are particularly destructive to maize. As maize is one of the three major carbohydrate providers to humans, this invasive maize pest is becoming a threat to food security on these continents.

Existing pest management includes insecticide applications in maize cultivation. However, over time, as the problem of the pest has worsened, there has been an unprecedented increase in the use of pesticides, causing concerns for human health and the environment.

Unfortunately, since the early 2020s, the pest has started to migrate into Europe, first arriving in southeastern Europe. It is likely that fall armyworm will soon establish in the southern regions of Europe and could become a serious migratory pest for the other maize-producing areas of Europe. It is also expected that Europe will conform to pest management efforts of other countries and use insecticides to control fall armyworm.

Due to the pest being new to Europe, awareness is low, and control strategies and tools are not robust. Therefore, European plant health stakeholders must rapidly improve their preparedness for this pest. Furthermore, the health and environmental hazards posed by pesticides have prompted the call for safer and more sustainable control practices.

What is this project doing?

This four-year project, called EUFAWREADY (Enhancing Europe’s readiness for managing fall armyworm, and invasive pest threat), aims to empower European agricultural actors, such as farmers, advisors, technicians and phytosanitary services to improve their preparedness for fall armyworm outbreaks.

It is led by INRAe of France and has 25 project partners, including CABI (15 academic, three SMEs, four industry partners, two plant health services and one farmer association).

The work is funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Research Framework Programme Farm4Fork, under the specific call on “Spotlight on plant priority pest: fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda).”

The project aims to provide advisors and farmers with pest management tools for early detection and effective management of fall armyworm in Europe, minimizing the economic, environmental and social impacts of fall armyworm and the reliance on synthetic pesticides.

The key objectives are to:

• Evaluate stakeholder awareness and preparedness on fall armyworm risks and enhance their engagement in management efforts
• Generate new knowledge on the biology of European fall armyworm populations to determine the traits enhancing their invasion potential
• Evaluate the economic and environmental impacts that the arrival of fall armyworm may induce within Europe
• Provide European stakeholders with efficient strategies for the early detection of fall armyworm and leverage natural enemies to broaden the range of effective and sustainable options available to European farmers
• Explore microbial agents to enhance eco-friendly crop protection for European farmers
• Develop novel sustainable solutions for fall armyworm control through exploration of plant-based and natural semiochemicals
• Integrate management solutions into guidelines and toolboxes for European end-users
• Make the project’s scientific and technical results accessible to key stakeholders, ensuring they are fully aware of fall armyworm risks and management options