China granting 46 product registrations for application to control of Spodoptera frugiperda, 65% are biological ingredients including Beauveria bassiana

Spodoptera frugiperda, commonly known as the fall armyworm, is an omnivorous pest originating from the American tropical and subtropical regions. 

Its larvae are fond of corn, sugarcane, sorghum, and potato, up to more than 80 types of plants, being adapted to a wide range of environments, with fast speed of propagation, strong reproductive ability, and severe damage to crops. After infection of Spodoptera frugiperda, crop yield decreases by 20% to 30%.

Spodoptera frugiperda intruded into Africa from the Americas in 2016 and spread to Asia in 2018, resulting in pest infestation in over 100 countries worldwide. It is a major agricultural pest covered by FAO’s global early warning, rated as one of the global top ten plant insect pests by CAB International.

In China, the infestation of Spodoptera frugiperda began in 2019. On January 18, 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced the intrusion of Spodoptera frugiperda into China as coming from Myanmar. Since then, the campaign ″protecting food grain from pest″ got started among Chinese farmers. In 2024, according to an earlier prediction of the National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center, due to the lower number of sources of insect pests, the occurrence of Spodoptera frugiperda in southwestern and southern China would be generally mild in the spring of 2024, which would become generally mild to moderate in the summer, as based on the analysis of the insect pest numbers, summer climate and the summer corn planting condition in various regions.

2019 – 2024 Spodoptera frugiperda occurrence

Source: National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center

Up to now, 46 pesticide products have been granted registration in China to prevent and control Spodoptera frugiperda. The details are as below: 

There are 16 chemical pesticides, which, in terms of active ingredients, include five Chlorantraniliprole products, three Chlorantraniliprole+Indoxacarb products, two Lufenuron products and one product of each of Spinetoram, Tetrachlorantraniliprole, Tetraniliprole, Cyantraniliprole, Chlorantraniliprole+Lufenuron and Cyantraniliprole+Thiamethoxam. 

There are 30 biological pesticides, which, in terms of active ingredient, include 12 Beauveria bassiana products (one Beauveria bassiana ZJU435), seven Bacillus thuringiensis products (one Bacillus thuringiensis G033A), two Metarhizium anisopliae products (one Metarhizium anisopliae CQMa421), two Azadirachtin products, two Spodoptera frugiperda NPV products (one KYc01 and one Hub1), one product of each of Mamestra brassicae NPV, Spodoptera litura NPV, Spodoptera frugiperda sex attractant, Autographa californica NPV+Bacillus thuringiensis and Matrine+Azadirachtin.

In terms of toxicity, there are 35 low-toxic products and 11 micro-toxic products.