Abstract:
The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is a damaging crop pest that has recently invaded
and established across Africa from its native tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. To develop an
improved monitoring system for the FAW, we evaluated five commercial sex pheromone lures (Shenzhen Bio
global, FALLTRACK, Enlure, P061-Lure and PH-869-1PR), three trap types (delta, bucket, and water-pan) and six
placement heights (ground level, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 m above the ground and 0.2 m above the crop canopy) in
replicated field trials at representative maize growing agroecologies of Kenya. Water-pan traps baited with the
lures PH-869-1PR and P061-Lure captured the highest number of moths, whereas delta traps captured the least
number of moths regardless of the pheromone lure used. Water-pan traps baited with Enlure and FALLTRACK
lures captured more non-target insects than traps baited with the other lures. Traps placed at 1.5 m and 2 m
above the ground captured more FAW moths than traps at the other placement heights. Genetic studies revealed
no discernible differences between lures in the proportions of FAW strains captured. We recommend PH-869-1PR
baited water-pan and bucket traps at a placement height of 1.5 m above ground for monitoring the FAW in
Kenya. Moreover, we discussed the merits and drawbacks of different pheromone lure and trap combinations,
and placement heights.
