FALL ARMYWORM Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): THREAT TO MAIZE PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA

necessitated an urgent survey to determine the extent and level of damage caused by FAW. A total of seventy-four(74) farms were surveyed and information was collected using a guided questionnaire. The survey revealed thatthe pest was widely spread, evidenced by its high presence recorded in most of the farms visited. The number offarms under attack was about 92.3% in Ogun, 87.5% in Ondo and 87.0% in Oyo States. However, damageseverity varied from one State to the other. The States of Ogun (76.9%) and Oyo (52.%) situated in the rainforestand derived savannah transitional zones recorded highest damages. There was a significant positive correlationbetween the severity of damage and farm size (r=0.27; p<0.05), with significant negative correlation betweenseverity of damage and age of plant(r = -0.30, p <0.05). The study therefore recommends the need to giveadequate sensitization to farmers on pest management as soon as they are noticed on the farm. There is need toalso assist in the design of an appropriate Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy against FAW infestationand efficiency in management of this pest, especially with large farm sizes and plants at their early stages ofdevelopment