Entomologia Croatica, Vol. 20 No. 1, 2021.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17971/ec.20.1.2
Possible aclimatization of fall armyworm in Zadar county
Martina Kadoić Balaško
orcid.org/0000-0002-3717-5301
; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, Croatia
Monika Zlodi
; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, Croatia
Renata Bažok
orcid.org/0000-0003-1655-8140
; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The fall armyworm is an important polyphagous pest of the owlet moth’s family. It is native to subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, where it is considered an economically important pest of crops. Outside the Americas, it was first recorded in early 2016 at West Africa and then spread further into Asia and Australia. Due to the great possibility of migration (an adult moth flies over 2000 km in the summer months), this pest could appear very quickly in the Mediterranean region. Due to climate change and the ecological requirements of the fall armyworm, there is a reasonable suspicion that this pest could become established in Europe and Croatia. The development and spread of the fall armyworm are mainly influenced by temperatures, precipitation and the availability of the host plant. The aim of this work is to present the biological and ecological characteristics of the fall armyworm, to present its current status in the world and to determine the possibility of acclimatization in the area of Central Dalmatia (Zadar). Meteorological data for the period from 2010 to 2020 were collected from the station in Zadar. The suitability of the area was determined by calculating the sum of effective temperatures required for the development of one generation (thermal threshold 10.9 °C, the sum of 559 °C mean daily temperatures above the threshold and the monthly amount of precipitation below 100 mm). The analysis of meteorological data and their comparison with the requirements of the pest showed that acclimatization of fall armyworm is not possible, but that due to the favorable conditions in spring and summer there is a risk of seasonal migration in Zadar County.
Keywords
Spodoptera frugiperda; quarantine pest; climate changes; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
269565
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2021.
Visits: 921 *