Fall armyworms already arrive at China’s Huang-Huai corn-growing areas

By Think Real - It's recently reported that fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) has successively been found in provinces and regions of northern China. Since summer is a peak season for occurrence of crop pests and diseases, China's agricultural authorities imposed requirements that local governments should be well-prepared for combating the pest.

Fall armyworms arrived at Shandong Province in East China at the furthest

In early July, Rongcheng City in eastern Shandong Province reported first appearance of fall armyworm larvae in cornfields.

In Mid-July, Suzhou City of Anhui Province reported signs of fall armyworm larvae.

A national combat with fall armyworm started

As fall armyworms migrated to key corn-growing areas in China, different regions in the country successively got ready for combat with the pests.

For example, Shandong Province organized an expert steering group for controlling fall armyworm to provide guidance on preventing a large-scale outbreak of the pests in large continuous areas. Local governments were also required to ensure abundant supplies and funds for the combat through capital raising via different channels.

China's national government procurement platform appointed by the Ministry of Finance of China showed that there was frequent bidding information on procuring pesticides, equipment and services for controlling fall armyworm. For instance, on 16 July, the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Huanghua City, Hebei Province announced that it would spend USD18,019 (fixed amount) on purchasing insecticide mixtures of emamectin benzoate and indoxacarb for controlling fall armyworm.