About this Research Topic

Background

Historically, the geographic distribution of the Fall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), has been limited to the Americas, including South and Central America, with some overwintering capacity in the southeastern U.S. In addition, via annual migration, the pest also exploited northern regions of North America. However, beginning in 2016, FAW was first officially detected in West Africa, and within 2-3 years, it had rapidly expanded its range to include nearly all of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as North Africa including Egypt (FAO, 2022). In Asia, FAW was first observed in Yemen in April 2018. In just a short period of two years, it extended its distribution to >20 countries across South Asia, South-East Asia, and East Asia. As of April 2022, FAW was confirmed in 78 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and the Pacific (www.fao.org). Most recently, for example, FAW has been detected in Australia and New Zealand. This recent and rapid spread, which likely reflects a combination of human-assisted and natural mechanisms, across continents, is one of the most dramatic examples in the field of invasion ecology. As a well-known and significant economic pest of numerous agricultural crops, the impact on growers, including smallholder farmers, has been substantial. FAO scientists currently estimate the economic impact of FAW in African alone, at $9.4 billion annually (primarily maize). In addition to maize, other major crops such as rice, sorghum, chickpea, other legumes, wheat, and tomato and many vegetable crops are also impacted.

In response to the food security ramifications of FAW, particularly in developing countries, multiple international research and outreach teams, and organizations such as FAO, CIMMYT, AGRA and USAID have worked together to expedite basic and applied research to address many questions about FAW ecology and management in new countries. Representing multiple countries, several leading entomologists have agreed to serve as Guest Editors of this new Research Topic on FAW, to encourage timely publication of basic and applied research, and therefore accelerate our understanding of FAW biology and ecology. We anticipate that several articles will be submitted to demonstrate novel approaches to develop and implement sustainable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions. An improved understanding of FAW biology, ecology and actual yield losses, is necessary to develop a solid foundation for future IPM programs. We therefore believe this Research Topic will prove to be a useful venue for researchers who wish to publish their findings in a timely manner, on a variety of FAW issues, in the near future. We look forward to new submissions in this Research Topic, as highlighted below.

Article types:
This Research Topic welcomes several types of articles, including: original research, opinion, perspective, editorial, mini-review, and review articles that examine all aspects of FAW invasion ecology and management. Potential contributions include, but are not limited to:

• Early detection, monitoring, cost-effective sampling, and spread rates of FAW populations
• Invasion biology and population ecology
• Dispersal of FAW (human-assisted and/or natural), and pathways of pest introduction
• FAW range expansion within the context of global climate change
• Behavioral studies, chemical ecology of insect-plant interactions
• Larval feeding injury, yield-loss studies, in maize plus other key crops
• Novel genetic/genomics studies on FAW, including maize vs rice strains
• Novel integrated pest management (IPM) solutions with low environmental impact
• Natural antagonists, biological control agents, and trophic interactions
• Resistant varieties and genetically modified crops against FAW
• Cropping systems, crop diversity and agronomic practices on FAW
• Synergies between biological control and pest-resistant varieties
• Assessing the potential of entomopathogenic fungi, nematodes and other microbial control agents
• Environmental and non-target impacts of FAW damage and IPM alternatives
• Economic assessment of FAW invasions, yield impacts and IPM solutions
• Farmer knowledge, perceptions and management of FAW
• Farmer input to guide best practices for IPM dissemination

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Keywords: Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, integrated pest management, International collaboration, Invasive species, biological control, food security

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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