Field Evaluation of Commercial Sex Pheromone Lures and Home-made Traps for Monitoring of Male Fall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an invasive pest of corn and a potential threat to cause yield losses. In this study, the efficacy of commercially available sex pheromone lures and home-made traps for monitoring male FAWs was evaluated in the corn fields of Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines, during the wet and dry seasons of 2022. Two trials were conducted to compare the capture rates of male FAWs using two home-made trap designs (bucket and delta trap) baited with commercially available pheromone lures. Delta traps baited with BioPhero (Z9, E12) 9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol acetate, acquired significantly more male moths than the other trap combinations during the field trials. There was a correlation in the number of captures of male FAW between trap designs and pheromone lures. Additionally, a statistically significant interaction between trap design and pheromone lures was observed during field trials conducted in both the dry and wet seasons of 2022. The design of home-made traps and the efficacy of lures significantly influence the overall performance of the trap. This study may contribute to the development of efficient combinations of lure and trap for monitoring Philippine FAW populations.