Fall armyworm outbreak hits Zambezi

The already struggling agriculture sector is facing another challenge, with an outbreak of fall armyworms confirmed in the Zambezi Region.The outbreak has already affected at least 100 hectares of maize crop farmland in the region. Agriculture executive director Percy Misika said the outbreak was reported on 14 February in Sacona, Kongola, Bukalo, Kasheshe and Musanga. Following reports the ministry undertook assessment missions to the affected areas last week, which confirmed that over 100 hectares of farmland was adversely affected by the worms. The maize crop in these areas is at different growth stages, from vegetable to flowering, which is highly susceptible to fall armyworms.“In Namibia fall armyworms pose a significant threat to smallholder crop farmers, mainly maize farmers, and has become a threat to food security. In the 2016/17 cropping season approximately 50 000 hectares of maize and millet were estimated to have been damaged by the pest, which adversely affected 27 000 households,” said Misika. According to the ministry, the fall armyworm is a pervasive agriculture pest that is native to South and Central America, which worked its way across the African continent after arriving in West Africa in 2016. It made its way south of the Sahara and into Namibia during the 2016/17 cropping season. The fall armyworms spread quickly during their adult or moth stage. According to the ministry their lifespan, from egg to larva to moth, lasts from about one to three months. “Controlling fall armyworms is a challenge, because they reproduce fast and in large numbers and can migrate long distances, hide within growing leaves and are also resistant to several pesticides,” said Misika. He said females produce huge numbers of eggs - between 50 and 200 per batch - and can have up to 10 batches within a lifespan. Also, the moth can be carried by winds across vast distances and some spread up to 1 000 kilometres, while the numbers of fall armyworms cannot be reduced by natural enemies and therefore they can multiply uninhibited.According to Misika fall armyworms is one of the most difficult pests to control in fields of maize crop. They cause serious leaf feed damage and can damage plants in nearly all stages of development. He said farmers should avoid late planting, staggering planting and increase plant diversity. Furthermore, he advised farmers to monitor their fields at least once or twice a week when the fall armyworm population is high, and look for damage on the leaves. Farmers should inspect 25 plants and count how many have new damage, this will determine the percentage of plants infested in the fields. Should plants be infected, farmers should handpick and destroy the egg masses and young caterpillars on leaves. “Apply ash, sand or soil to whorls with damaged leaves - this kills the larvae,” said Misika. It is also advised the use of botanical pesticides and that farmers should report any pest and insect occurrence on their farms and fields to the offices of the directorates of agriculture production and extension engineering services in the regions. ELLANIE SMIT

Fall armyworm outbreak hits Zambezi

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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Fall armyworm outbreak hits Zambezi

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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