A review on use of botanical extracts for the management of fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) [Noctuidae, Lepidoptera]

Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda is a polyphagous pest that attacks many crops, especially cereals, in a destructive manner, causing heavy yield losses, particularly in maize crop. S. frugiperda has two genetic strains, viz., the ‘rice strain’, which prefers rice and other grasses, and the ‘maize strain’ which prefers mainly maize and sorghum. With its spread to African and Asian countries from the Americas, since 2016, the need for alternative management strategies to control the pest in these countries has become imperative, where management with recommended synthetic insecticides for S. frugiperda is quite expensive for small-scale farmers. Also, synthetic insecticides invite other problems such as pest resistance, pest resurgence, besides being harmful to non-target organisms and leaving residues in the final produce. The use of botanicals for managing S. frugiperda is considered one of the important alternatives with none of the above mentioned negative impacts. Several studies have been conducted to understand the efficacy and potential of plant-derived compounds against this pest. This review focuses on the various botanicals evaluated for the management of S. frugiperda, their efficacy, mechanism of action, etc. This review will serve as a basis for evaluating pesticidal plants under field conditions and on the basis of which commercial botanical pesticides can be developed.