Abstract:
Spodoptera frugiperda is a new insect pest that originated in the Americas and has spread to various
countries including Indonesia. This pest attacks the growing point of corn crops resulting in the failure of
the formation of young shoots/leaves of the plant. Loss of results due to insect attacks can reach 80%,
can even cause puso if not controlled. Larvae of S. frugiperda have high feeding ability and are
polyphagous. Larvae enter the part of the plant on the sidelines between the leaves and stems and actively
feed in the same location, so if the population is still small, it will be difficult to detect. Imago is also a
strong aviator and has a high cruising power. One to plan control is to study the distribution of insect pests
and their biology in the Tanah Laut regency of South Kalimantan province. This research aims to study
the distribution and biology of S. frugiperda inTanah Laut Regency of South Kalimantan Province. At 11
observation sites from three subdistricts (Tambang Ulang, Pelaihari, and Panyipatan) in Tanah Laut
Regency, on cornfields in all these locations have been found S. frugiperda with an average number of
egg stadia 0.36 groups of eggs, larvae 27.18 tails, pupa 0.09 tails and imago found during observation
0.27 tails with the percentage of this pest attack in corn farming in three subdistricts in Tanah Laut
Regency (Pelaihari, Panyipatan, and Tambang Ulang) of 45.86%. Of the two observed corn varieties (feed
and sweet), the percentage of attacks on feed corn ranged from 22.22 – 66.67%, while sweet corn ranged
from 52.38 to 63.64%. The average phases of eggs, larvae, pupae and imago are 2 each; 19.5; 9.8; and
3.4 days.
