Alert system against the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

Integrated pest management can be understood as an information system that supports decision-making regarding the phytosanitary management of crops. This system is built around the understanding of the population dynamics of the pest organism in its interaction with the host and the environment. In Mexico, in 2003, the phytosanitary alert system of the state of Guanajuato (SIAFEG) was established as an instrument to evaluate the impact of the main pests and diseases of some crops of economic importance in the state. In 2010, studies were begun to build the fall armyworm model, joining the SIAFEG in 2011. The elements that were combined to integrate the warning system for S. frugiperda were: the information of the network of agrometeorological stations of INIFAP-COFUPRO in Guanajuato, a model of dynamic simulation of the growth and development of the insect and data on the population dynamics of the insect. The model estimates the population dynamics of the fall armyworm. Comparing the estimates of the model with the adult trapping data, a significant relationship was found, which indicates that the model can be used reliably. Applied to long-term studies (2 or more years), the model can be very useful to understand the causes of the variation in population levels and damage to crops from one year to the next.