Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith)
Larva feeds on most grasses found in and around rice fields. It is also serious pest of corn and pasture grasses. The fall armyworm is only an occasional pest on rice. Larvae feed on the leaves of young rice plants. When large numbers of armyworm are present, seedlings can be pruned to the ground, resulting in severe stand loss. Fall army worm infestations generally occur along field borders, levees and in high areas of field where larvae escape drowning. The most injurious infestations occur in fields of seedling rice that are too young to flood.
Click on the links above to go to the Fall Armyworm home page or the Rice Insects Photo Galleries home page.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture