The Fall Armyworm Endemic: Contriving the perspicacity in the outbreak of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in relation to push–pull technology The Fall Armyworm Endemic: Contriving the perspicacity in the outbreak of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in relation to push–pull technology

Abstract

Fall armyworm (FAW) is a moth native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas whose larva causes damage to crops. As of May 23, 2017 it has affected more than 143,000 hectares of land in major maize- and wheat-producing counties in Kenya. In response to its severity, this study was conducted to determine the perception of farmers in respect to; the challenges they faced through FAW endemic; the differences depicted between FAW and stemborers; and strategies farmers apply to attempt controlling them. This study was descriptive, and it was conducted in Homabay and Migori using a sample size of 51 households (push–pull technology [PPT] - 25 and non-push–pull technology [NPPT] - 26). It was found that 7 push–pull households and 8 non-push–pull households expressed FAWs outbreak as a threat to cereal production. The ratio statistics across the sub-counties interviewed indicated that the spread of FAW was higher among the non-push–pull farms by 69.9% when push–pull farms showed 63.1%. Moreover, the ratio statistics of FAWs to stemborers negatively impacting on crop production among the push–pull farms yielded a 34.2% in comparison to non-push–pull farms that had 74.2%. Furthermore, farmers explained that FAW was quicker, bigger, and uncontrollable compared to stemborers. The common strategies that farmers had used to control FAW included spraying of crops, uprooting of the infected crops, and application of ash. Unfortunately, they did not seem to work effectively both among the PPT and NPPT farms. The regression model provided showed acceptable significance level. Therefore, FAW outbreak was determined to be a danger disease to crops both on PPT and NPPT farms. However, push–pull technology reflected a slight control, but further research would be essential for a further recourse on eliminating FAW.