ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFORMATION Received: November 15, 2013 Received in revised form: December 12, 2013 Accepted: December 20, 2013 Email: A study of the attractiveness of commercially available pheromone lures for monitoring fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) was conducted in spring 2007 and 2008 in organically grown sweet corn. Corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), beet armyworm (BAW) Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), southern armyworm (SAW) Spodoptera eridania, and natural enemies were also monitored in this study. In 2007, FAW populations were low and there was no significant difference in FAW captures among lure types. In 2008, FAW populations were higher compared with 2007, and traps baited with Trécé lures captured significantly more FAW compared with the Hercon and Scentry lures. Lure type did not have a significant effect on cob weight infested with FAW and marketable yield. Beet armyworm populations were significantly higher than southern armyworm populations in both 2007 and 2008. The ladybird beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guerin Meneville was the only natural enemy captured consistently throughout the study period. There was no significant difference in H. convergens captures among lure types. The findings from this study suggest that traps baited with Trécé lures attracted more FAW in the study site. As expected, the higher trap captures had no significant effect on the number of cobs infested with FAW and marketable yield. Commercial lure formulations vary in attractiveness to FAW. Growers need to select the most attractive lure for early detection of FAW so that management strategies can be applied before they reach damaging levels. Keywords: EVALUATION OF COMMERCIAL PHEROMONE LURES FOR MONITORING ARMYWORM (SPODOPTERA SPP.) IN ORGANIC SWEET CORN (ZEA MAYS L.) *Corresponding Author: Spodoptera frugiperda, Spodoptera exigua, Spodoptera eridania, organic, sweet corn, pheromone lures 1 * 2 1 Manish Bhan , Oscar E. Liburd and Carlene A. Chase 1 Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 2 Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 Cite this article as: 77 Bhan, M., O.E. Liburd and C.A. Chase, 2013. Evaluation of commercial pheromone lures for monitoring armyworm (Spodoptera spp.) in organic sweet corn (Zea mays L.). Pak. Entomol., 35(2): 71-76. 71 INTRODUCTION different population dynamics overwinter in agricultural areas in Florida. These populations migrate to Central and Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) Eastern United States causing significant crop losses during (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is native to the tropical regions of the summer (Nagoshi and Meagher, 2008). Routine the western hemisphere and a primary pest of sweet corn in insecticide sprays are usually employed for controlling FAW Florida (Foster, 1989). The larva feeds on more than 60 (Malo et al., 2001), which include Dipel DF (Bacillus -1 different species of plants, which include maize, sorghum, thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki) at 1.3-5.0 kg ha , or -1 forage grasses, turf grasses, rice, sugarcane, cotton, and Entrust (Spinosad) at 6 – 23 g ha in organically planted sweet peanuts (Nagoshi et al., 2006; Luginbill, 1928; Sparks, 1979). corn (Olson and Simonne, 2009). Generally, growers employ Adults are nocturnal (Sparks, 1979), and females oviposit on field scouts to determine armyworm population levels in silk, developing kernels, and ears of sweet corn (Ni et al., sweet corn. This can be a time consuming and labor intensive 2007; Beserra et al., 2002). operation depending on the size of the farm. An effective trap In the US, FAW survives winter in the southern tips of Florida and lure system can reduce labor costs and the need for and Texas as it lacks diapause mechanisms (Sparks, 1979; frequent applications of organically approved pesticides to Fleischer et al., 2005). Nagoshi and Meagher (2004) used manage armyworm populations. pheromone baited traps and molecular markers to show that Another significant pest of sweet corn is the corn earworm, two host strains of FAW (rice-strain and corn strain) with Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), which can be distinguished from oeliburd@ufl.edu Oscar E. Liburd Journal homepage: www.pakentomol.com Pakistan Entomologist