Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is an invasive pest in South Asia. The current paper documents farmers' perceptions of fall armyworm in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal and explores the current management practices adopted by farmers. A structured survey was conducted with 526 farmers regarding current cropping practices, identification of fall armyworm and its damage, management, capacity-building activities, and support from government and non-government extension services. The results suggested that most of the farmers reported very high to moderate damage from fall armyworm, and that the damage and spread increased over time. Although farmers used a range of management practices to control fall armyworm, chemical pesticides were still the dominant tool. Farmers learnt about the pest and its identification from their fellow farmers and individual experiences, while services from government and non-government offices were limited. Therefore, there is a need for an innovative extension approach, including the promotion of digital technologies. Similarly, the evaluation and promotion of new technologies as part of integrated pest management strategies (IPM) must be deployed to manage fall armyworm.

The strawberry crop endures economic losses due to feeding injury from a number of phytophagous arthropod pests. A number of invasive pests have posed challenges to crop protection techniques in the strawberry cropping system recently. It is increasingly evident that sole reliance on chemical control options is not sustainable. In this review, current challenges and advances in integrated pest management of various strawberry pests are presented. Key pests discussed include thrips, mites, lygus bug, spotted wing drosophila, seed bug, weevils, aphids, whiteflies, and armyworms. Several integrated pest management techniques that include use of intercropping, resistant cultivars, irradiation with gamma rays, use of spectral sensitivity of pests, biological control agents and natural enemies, and biorational pesticides have recently been reported to be useful in managing the various strawberry pests. With the increase in world production of strawberry, several techniques will be necessary to manage the pest complex of strawberry.

Abstract Because turfgrass is maintained in various settings, such as golf courses, lawns, and commercially grown in sod farms, it is critical to understand its major insect pests and management practices. A survey was conducted to determine the major insect pests and current management practices in the commercial turfgrass industries in Georgia. A total of 32 respondents representing golf courses and sod farms participated in the survey. A significantly greater number of respondents represented golf courses (75% of 32 respondents) than sod farms (25%). The respondents (n =31) identified fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (32.5%), white grubs, Phyllophaga spp. (20.8%), mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae; 16.9%), and others (22%) as major pests in comparison to billbugs, Sphenophorus spp. (7.8%) and chinch bugs, Blissus spp. (0%). Of 31 respondents, 64.5% applied insecticides two to five times and 22.5% respondents applied insecticides 5–10 times for insect management each year. Among nonchemical tools (n=24), most respondents opted to do nothing (70.8%) than use biological control (0%), host plant resistance (25%), or other management tools (4.2%).

The hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus vestitus Chittenden, is an important insect pest of warm-season turfgrass. Larvae and adult S. venatus vestitus feed on turfgrass and affect normal grass growth and development. In sod farms and golf courses, management sprays are typically confined to affected areas because of the high insecticide and application costs. Understanding the walking behavior of S. venatus vestitus adults would help us to refine management tactics. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of abiotic factors on the walking behavior of adult S. venatus vestitus. A series of laboratory, semifield, and field assays were conducted in 2019 and 2020. For the laboratory assays, field-collected S. venatus vestitus adults were acclimated at 15, 18, 21, 28, and 32°C for 24 h, and the distances walked by these pre-acclimated adults were measured on sand and filter paper substrates using Noldus EthoVision XT software. For the semifield assays, the total and net distances walked by pre-acclimated adults were measured on a paved indoor surface. Sphenophorus venatus vestitus males and females moved farther when the temperature increased from 15 to 28°C in the laboratory and semifield assays. For the field assays, field-collected S. venatus vestitus adults were not acclimated. The total and net distances walked by the adults were documented on a paved surface. Increases in temperature and relative humidity did not affect the distance moved by adults, but an increase in wind speed reduced the distance moved.

The hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus vestitus Chittenden (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an important turfgrass pest, especially in sod farms. S. venatus vestitus larvae feed on the stems and roots of turfgrass. Damaged turfgrass is loosely held together and poses a challenge for machine harvesting. Additionally, the normal growth of turfgrass is affected, especially after winter dormancy. Because S. venatus vestitus larvae are hidden inside the stems or under the soil, larval management is challenging. To improve sampling and management, the spatial distribution patterns of S. venatus vestitus larvae and adults were assessed at four sod farm sites with a history of S. venatus vestitus infestation in central Georgia (USA). The larvae were sampled by soil cores using a hole cutter, whereas adults were collected using pitfall traps for 7 d. The spatial distributions of larvae and adults was analyzed using SADIE and variograms. The SADIE and variogram analyses revealed a significant aggregation pattern for adults, whereas aggregated distributions were detected for larvae with variogram analyses. The average ranges of spatial dependence for larval and adult samples were 3.9 m and 5.4 m, respectively. Interpolated distribution maps were created to visually depict S. venatus vestitus infestation hotspots within the sod farms.

The billbug complex, Sphenophorus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an important pest on the sod farms of Georgia. The feeding damage of larvae within stolons and on roots delays the sod harvest and makes it difficult to conduct machine harvests. To develop an effective management strategy, the timing of insecticide applications is critical. The activity of billbugs, especially soon after sod harvest, has not been documented, as newly emerging adults could reinfest the harvested area or adjacent nonharvested sod fields. In 2019 and 2020, adult billbugs were sampled from harvested and nonharvested areas of sod farms by using linear pitfall traps. Although a significantly greater number of billbug adults were captured from the nonharvested sod, the data showed that adults were present in the harvested sod area. To understand the direction of billbug movement in harvested and nonharvested sod, a square area was selected, and the sod inside the square was removed. Linear pitfall traps were deployed along the perimeter of square areas to collect adults from outside and inside the square. In 2020, a significantly greater number of billbug adults were collected in the traps from the nonharvested areas outside the square than from harvested area inside the square, whereas in 2019, adult captures were similar from both areas. The data documented the activity of billbugs in the areas where sod was harvested, posing a risk of infestation for both strips of nonharvested grass in the harvested area and the adjacent, nonharvested sod fields that were near harvest.

The billbug, Sphenophorus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an important pest complex in sod farms in Georgia. Larval feeding within stolons and on roots affects spring recovery of slow-growing zoysiagrass and poses a serious challenge to machine harvesting, as the damaged turfgrass rarely holds together. Little is known about major billbug species and their seasonal occurrence and abundance in Georgia sod farms, as most previous research was conducted in golf courses in the region. In 2018 and 2019, adult billbugs were sampled from five zoysiagrass sod field sites in central Georgia. Four linear pitfall traps were used per site from February to December each year, and the traps were checked at weekly intervals. The data show that >98% of the sampled billbugs were the hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus vestitus Chittenden, whereas the nutgrass billbug, Sphenophorus cariosus Olivier; uneven billbug, Sphenophorus inaequalis Say; and vegetable weevil, Listroderes difficilis Germain were the minor species. Seasonal billbug capture was influenced by turfgrass phenology (e.g., early-growth-stage, late-growth-stage or fully grown turfgrass). The numbers of Sphenophorus spp. collected were significantly greater in the fully grown turfgrass than in the early- or late-growth-stage turfgrasses. Significantly greater densities of billbug were found in Zoysia matrella (L.) Merrill ('Zeon') and the Z. matrella × Zoysia pacifica (Goudswaard) M. Hotta & S. Kuroki hybrid ('Emerald') than in the Zoysia japonica (Steudel) cultivars 'El Toro' and 'Zenith'. Similar numbers of male and female billbugs were collected from the sod field sites.