Scientists
tracking a crop-destroying caterpillar known as armyworm say it is now
spreading rapidly across mainland Africa and could reach tropical Asia and the
Mediterranean in the next few years, threatening agricultural trade.
In research
released on Monday, scientists at the Britain-based Centre for Agriculture and
Biosciences International (CABI) said the pest, which had not previously been
established outside the Americas, is now expected to spread “to the limits of
suitable African habitat” within a few years.
The
caterpillar destroys young maize plants, attacking their growing points and
burrowing into the cobs.
“It likely
travelled to Africa as adults or egg masses on direct commercial flights and
has since been spread within Africa by its own strong flight ability and
carried as a contaminant on crop produce,” said CABI’s chief scientist Matthew
Cock.
Armyworm,
known as “fall armyworm” in the United States due to its tendency to migrate
there in autumn, or fall, is native to North and South America and can
devastate maize, a staple crop crucial to food security in large parts of
Africa.
“Following
earlier reports from Nigeria, Togo and Benin, this shows they are clearly
spreading very rapidly.”
Suspected
outbreaks have already erupted in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa and
the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said last week it had spread to
Namibia and Mozambique.
The CABI
research found evidence of two species of fall armyworm in Ghana for the first
time and scientists are now working to understand how it got there, how it
spreads, and how farmers can control it in an environmentally friendly way.
“This is the
first time it has been shown that both species or strains are established on
mainland Africa,” Cook said. “Following earlier reports from Nigeria, Togo and
Benin, this shows they are clearly spreading very rapidly.”
While
armyworm mainly affects maize, it has also been recorded eating more than 100
different plant species, causing major damage to crops such as rice and
sugarcane as well as cabbage, beet and soybeans.
Cook warned
that outbreaks can cause devastating losses and mounting debts for farmers and
said urgent action is now needed to help farmers figure out the best strategies
to control the pest.
South
Africa’s agriculture ministry said last week it was registering pesticides for
use against armyworm.
The BBC
reports that Dr Jayne Crozier, of Cabi,
said the armyworm’s presence had now been confirmed in west Africa and was
thought to be present in the south and east of the continent, many parts of
which rely on maize for their staple diet.
“It’s
possibly been there for some time and it’s causing a lot of damage now,” she
told BBC News.
“The recent
discovery of fall armyworm in Africa will be a huge threat to food security and
also to trade in the region.”
The FAO is
to hold an emergency meeting in Harare between 14 and 16 February to decide
emergency responses to the armyworm threat.
Zambia has
used army planes to spray affected areas with pesticides.
(NAN)
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