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 in Tanah 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.
