Field monitoring of the invasive fall armyworm, <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> and its natural enemies in Türkiye
PHYTOPARASITICA, cilt.54, sa.5, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 54 Sayı: 5
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s12600-026-01443-2
- Dergi Adı: PHYTOPARASITICA
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Zoological Record, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO)
- Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is an invasive polyphagous pest that poses a growing threat to maize production across the Mediterranean basin. This study presents the first comprehensive field survey of FAW in T & uuml;rkiye, conducted across Adana, Osmaniye, and Hatay provinces during the 2024-2025 maize seasons. A total of 965 maize fields were surveyed to assess the pest's distribution, seasonal infestation dynamics, and associated natural enemies. In 2024, the pest was widely established, particularly in lowland areas of Adana and Osmaniye, with infestation rates surging from 9.8% in the first crop season to 84.4% in the second. In contrast, 2025 showed lower infestation levels (32.2% in second crop), likely due to early-season frost events suppressing population buildup. Six parasitoid species were identified for the first time as natural enemies of S. frugiperda in T & uuml;rkiye, including Chelonus inanitus (L.), C. andrievskii Tobias, Meteorus pendulus (M & uuml;ller, 1776) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko, T. euproctidis Girault (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) and Hyposoter frigidus (Lundbeck, 1897) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) the latter newly recorded for the Turkish fauna. Furthermore, we document the first record of Orius niger (Wolff) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) as a predator of FAW, alongside the occurrence of Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). This study provides the first comprehensive documentation of the natural enemy complex associated with FAW in T & uuml;rkiye and establishes an important baseline for future studies on biological control and the development of integrated pest management strategies against this invasive pest.