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Emergency Response to Enhance Technical Capacity for Early Warning, Monitoring and Management of Fall Armyworm in Myanmar - TCP/MYA/3706

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 12

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Fall Armyworm ( is a transboundary pest that is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas It was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and now poses a threat to crop production around the world The FAW larva ( is known to feed on over 80 crop species, several of which are major crops in Myanmar, including maize, rice, sorghum, millet, sugar cane, various vegetables and cotton Moreover, developing larvae target different areas of the host crop, depending both on their own developmental phase and the stage of crop development Notably, young larvae feed on leaves, which results in “windowing This can ultimately lead to “dead heart” in maize, which prevents cob formation. The FAW infestation in Myanmar is primarily affecting smallholder maize farmers that have limited to no experience with the pest and few resources to manage its spread Moreover, FAW poses a threat to cropping systems and food security throughout Myanmar because of its high potential to adapt to alternative crops, including rice As the adult moth can travel over 100 kilometres a night, the potential for largescale and widespread infestation is an immediate concern Given the prevailing risk to national food and livelihood security, farmers require urgent support in the sustainable management of FAW through an integrated pest management (IPM) approach.

Language English

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