~ 1348 ~ Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2019; 7(4): 1348-1352 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 P-ISSN: 2349-6800 JEZS 2019; 7(4): 1348-1352 © 2019 JEZS Received: 23-05-2019 Accepted: 27-06-2019 Mahanthi Visalakshi Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India TR Ashika ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, H.A. Farm post, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India T Venkatesan ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, H.A. Farm post, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Chandish R Ballal ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, H.A. Farm post, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India K Laxman District Agricultural Advisory and Transfer of Technology Centre, Vizianagaram, Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India D Nagarjuna Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India G Chittibabu District Agricultural Advisory and Transfer of Technology Centre, Amadalavalasa, Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, India P Venkatarao District Agricultural Advisory and Transfer of Technology Centre, Amadalavalasa, Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, India P Jamuna Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India Correspondence Mahanthi Visalakshi Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India Report of the invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its natural enemies on maize and other crops from Andhra Pradesh, India Mahanthi Visalakshi, TR Ashika, T Venkatesan, Chandish R Ballal, K Laxman, D Nagarjuna, G Chittibabu, P Venkatarao and P Jamuna Abstract Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was first noticed on maize crop at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, Visakhapatanam, Andhra Pradesh. Severe damage by S. frugiperda was recorded in several villages of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh state during August and September, 2018. The incidence of fall armyworm ranging from 5 to 100 per cent was observed in all maize growing areas. Grown up larvae damaging maize whorls were collected from four locations and reared in the laboratory till adult stage. Species were identified based on morphological characters as S. frugiperda. Furthermore, molecular identification of the pest was done and Gen bank accession numbers were obtained for the pest from four locations of Andhra Pradesh (MH 822831, MH 822832, MH 822833 and MH 822834) and DNA barcodes were generated. Though the pest caused serious damage to maize during August - September, 2018, it was also found to cause 20-30% damage on sorghum, ragi, bajra during October and November, 2019. Furthermore, the pest was found to feed on young sugarcane crop (30 to 45 days old) and caused infestation around 5% during April, 2019 at Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam district, Samalkota, East Godavari district and Vuyyur, Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Egg parasitoids, Trichogramma sp. and Telenomus sp were found to parasitize the pest on maize and T. chilonis was found to parasitize eggs of the pest in sugarcane. Keywords: Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, Trichogramma chilonis 1. Introduction Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is native to America and is considered as the most important pest of corn in Brazil, the third largest corn producer in the world after USA and China. It is considered as a serious polyphagous pest of voracious nature with a wide host range of approximately more than 100 recorded plant species including maize, rice, sorghum, sugarcane, cabbage, potato, tomato, soybean, cotton and cause significant losses to agricultural crops (Goergen et al., 2016) [4] . This pest invaded Africa in 2016 [4] . Causing serious damage on maize crop and in Ghana during 2017 causing wide spread crop damage (CABI, 2016, Pogue, 2002, FAO, 2017) [1, 6, 2] . In Brazil, S. frugiperda causes up to 34 per cent reduction in maize grain yield that amounts to an annual loss of US$ 400 million. Spodoptera frugiperda has been reported for the first time on the Indian subcontinent in maize fields University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka detected in 18 th May, 2018 (Sharanabasappa and Kalleswara Swamy, 2018) [8] . Subsequently occurrence of the pest and its natural enemies was reported (Shylesha et al., 2018) [9] . Maize is an emerging second most important cereal crop after rice in Andhra Pradesh and North coastal districts (Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam) account for 25.0 per cent production of maize in Andhra Pradesh. Keeping the above in view, surveys were conducted to monitor the pest and the occurrence of natural enemies in maize and other crops grown in north coastal zone of Andhra Pradesh state.