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| Credit Taiwan's BAPHIQ |
#14,019
Two days ago, in a post about African Swine Fever, I also mentioned one of the other major threats to China's food supply; the rapid spread of highly destructive Fall Armyworms (FAW) across 15 Provinces.
I also posted a May 30st USDA update:
The Fall Armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda) – a crop-eating pest – first detected in China in January 2019 has now spread across 15 Chinese provinces and currently impacts about 90,000 hectares (1.35 million mu) of grain production.(Continue . . . )
The Fall Armworm is native to the Americas, but has been spreading globally in recent years. The FAO describes the threat:
The Fall Armyworm (FAW), or Spodoptera frugiperda, is an insect that is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. In the absence of natural control or good management, it can cause significant damage to crops. It prefers maize, but can feed on more than 80 additional species of crops, including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton.
FAW was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and has quickly spread across virtually all of Sub-Saharan Africa. In July 2018 it was confirmed in India and Yemen. Because of trade and the moth's strong flying ability, it has the potential to spread further. Farmers will need great support through Integrated Pest Management to sustainability manage FAW in their cropping systems.
Key facts
- Fall Armyworm is an insect native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas
- It was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and has now spread across Sub-Saharan Africa and recently reached Yemen and India
- In the larval stage, the insect causes damage to crops, feeding on more than 80 plant species
- FAW primarily affects maize, but also rice and sorghum as well as cotton and some vegetables
- The moth can fly up to 100 km per night and the female moth can lay up to a total of 1000 eggs in her lifetime
- In the Americas, farmers have been managing FAW in their crops for many centuries and researches have been studying it for decades
- Sustainable management practices that are used in the Americas need to be to be adapted to countries’ socio-economic-environmental contexts
Today Taiwan, which has been desperately trying to prevent the entry of ASF into their country from China, announced their first confirmed infestation of Fall Armyworms.
The Anti-inspection Bureau confirmed that the autumn insects were found and immediately launched emergency epidemic prevention measures to avoid spread.
The Anti-inspection Bureau said today (10) that the bureau was notified on June 8 that it had discovered the suspected autumn worm larvae in the green-cut corn in the Fei Niu Ranch in Miaoli County. The bureau immediately dispatched a meeting with the Agricultural Experimental Institute and the Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement.
The field and the Miaoli County government went to the site for investigation, and the morphological identification of the larvae and the use of molecular techniques for genetic sequencing, the identification results of this afternoon were determined to be the autumn army insects. The AFB immediately launched emergency epidemic prevention measures to extinguish the pests in order to prevent their spread.
The Anti-inspection Bureau said that the autumn larvae found in the green-cut corn plants of Feiniu Ranch was the first case discovered in China. In order to prevent the spread of the worms, the affected areas were immediately delineated according to the regulations of the Plant Quarantine and Quarantine Law. All will be eradicated and destroyed, and compensation will be given according to law. In particular, the Anti-Inspection Bureau stated that in order to urgently control the autumn army insects found on corn, the bureau has announced emergency drug control, including Cinot, Novalon, Fluoride, Ke Anbo, Husai Ning, Yi There are 11 kinds of products such as Fenning, Sulfur, and Su Li. In addition, the bureau said that when the site was interviewed on the 8th, the autumn army insect pheromones traps were hoisted, and adults were immediately trapped if they had adults. At the same time, the bureau also visually inspected the host plants around the ranch, and the pest has not been found so far.
The Anti-Inspection Bureau further stated that the autumn army insects are important international agricultural pests, mainly affecting economic crops such as corn, rice, sorghum, cotton, cruciferae, cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae, etc. The bureau has strengthened border quarantine measures and inspection work. Since June 3, 500 individual pheromones reconnaissance points have been set up in the important host producing areas of the outlying islands and Taiwan's main islands, and the agricultural test improvement sites and local governments have also visited the pest host producing areas for visual inspection.
In addition, the bureau also received the Hualien District Agricultural Improvement Farm and the Tainan District Agricultural Improvement Farm respectively to report the suspected worms in Yilan County, Yilan County, and Yizhu Township, Chiayi County. They have gone to the site for investigation and sent the worms to the experts. In the molecular bioassay, the Anti-inspection Bureau immediately set up an emergency response team for the autumn army insect disaster, and the county and city agriculture bureaus (offices) also set up a monitoring and processing team to facilitate the implementation of disaster prediction, warning messages, disaster collection and notification.
Finally, the Anti-Inspection Bureau urged relevant operators and farmers to take the initiative to go to the field for inspection. If the pest is found, please immediately go through the Anti-Inspection Bureau's special line 0800-039-131, the Anti-Inspection Bureau's Epidemic Faces or the Defense Inspection Bureau Line@ Notify and upload photos and images for quick identification and emergency prevention measures.
Although farmers in the Americas have had to contend with FAW for decades, those in other regions are not as prepared to deal with a major infestation, and so the arrival of Fall Armyworms constitutes a genuine agricultural crisis.
According to the FAO's most recent report, food insecurity and world hunger continue to increase.
The 2018 State Of Food Security And Nutrition In The World
RECENT TRENDS IN HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY
KEY MESSAGES
- New evidence continues to point to a rise in world hunger in recent years after a prolonged decline. An estimated 821 million people – approximately one out of every nine people in the world – are undernourished.
- Undernourishment and severe food insecurity appear to be increasing in almost all regions of Africa, as well as in South America, whereas the undernourishment situation is stable in most regions of Asia.
- The signs of increasing hunger and food insecurity are a warning that there is considerable work to be done to make sure we “leave no one behind” on the road towards a world with zero hunger
Food insecurity - whether due to disease, floods, droughts, or other causes - can bring on severe economic, and societal challenges. In extreme cases, it can even destabilize regions (see Iran: Bird Flu, Food Insecurity & Civil Unrest).
All of which makes these types of threats very much worth our attention.
