ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGE AND BIOCONTROL AGENTS OF FALL ARMYWORM SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA (JE SMITH, 1797) (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUIDAE) ON MAIZE IN SOUTHERN OF BENIN REPUBLIC.

Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith, 1797) prefer maize over a diverse range of host plants threatening food security in West Africa. Since the invasion of S. frugiperda in Africa in 2016, farmers have developed different pest management strategies including the use of pesticides from various sources which may prove dangerous to humans' health and environment. In order to devise integrated pest management knowledge of damage incidence in ecological zones and respectively associated natural enemies is needed. Survey was carried out in different agroecological zones including "lar land zone (ZAE 6), depression zone (ZAE 7) and fisheries zone (ZAE 8) of maize production in southern Benin during June to October, 2019. A total of 1350 larvae and 26 egg masses of S. frugiperda were collected by sampling 60 untreated fields of maize crops from 20 locations. An average of 120 eggs were counted in total or each egg mass. The results showed different levels of pest damage upto 100% plants devastated by the attack of the pest. Natural enemies were brought in the laboratory for identification. The parasitism rate was 3.35 %. The parasitoids identified from Hymenoptera were Cotesia icipe Fernandez-Triana & Fiaboe, Chelonus bifoveolatus (Szépligeti), Telenomus remus Nixon, Charops Sp., Pristomerus pallidus (Kriechbaumer) with overall parasitism of 3.33. The predators belonged to the families-Coccinellidae [Coccinella septempunctata], Forficulidae [Forficula senegalensis (Serville)] and Formicidae [Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius), Lasius niger (Linnaaeus)]. The most abundant predators were from Formicidae (94%), followed by Coccinellidae (3.67%) and Forficulidae (1.84%). Minor predators (0.57%) of different such other families as Mantidae, Reduviidae (Rhynocoris sp.) and Pentatomidae were also collected from the fields. The higher damage level and the abundance natural enemies were observed in the depression zone 7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]