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Asia Regional Project on Fall Armyworm and Brown Planthopper
Introduction
This initiative is supported by South Korea's Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI) in partnership with the CSIRO Genomics Team and the ASEAN FAW Action Plan. This project will focus on three major components to better understand these two serious regional pests.
Component 1: Genomic evidence and pest connectivity
Component 1 generates genomic, evidence-based information on the connectivity of fall armyworm (FAW) populations (Year 1) and brown planthopper (BPH) populations (Year 2) across the region — the first step toward developing pest management solutions. It builds on work led by CSIRO’s Dr. Wee Tek Tay and a team of experts under a previous project co-funded by GRDC, ACIAR and CRDC, which sought to better understand FAW population connectivity, management options and resistance profiles across Australia, Southeast Asia, Oceania and East Africa (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Uganda).
Component 2: Regional capacity and biocontrol solutions
Component 2 builds regional skills in bioassay work to characterise resistance profiles in the two species, through standardised protocols developed jointly by the project partner countries. It also provides hands-on training in the analysis and quality control of DNA sequence datasets for molecular diagnostics. Identifying potential biocontrol solutions for the future management of FAW and BPH will be a key focus.
Component 3: Field application and IPM
Component 3 applies these solutions in the field, focusing on practical, effective IPM approaches that help farmers monitor and manage FAW and BPH populations while reducing conventional chemical pesticide use.
Project Timeline
Project dates: October 2023-to-October 2026
The 3-year project is structured into three distinct phases and will include workshops, annual meetings, webinars, demonstration field trials, and regularly scheduled virtual meetings taking place every two months.
Goals include:
First year :
Second year :
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A better understanding of FAW population structure across the 10 AFACI partner countries
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Exploration of genomic approaches to addressing pest threats.
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An understanding of the molecular diagnostic approach, an ability to process DNA barcoding-related sequences, and an ability to perform molecular diagnosis
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A better understanding of implementing protection strategies to improve crop health and farmer communication strategies.
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Better understanding of BPH population diversity across the partner countries
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An understanding of the molecular diagnostic approach, an ability to process DNA barcoding-related sequences, and an ability to perform molecular diagnosis
Third year :
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Increasing confidence in interpreting genomic signatures concerning invasion biology
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An appreciation of biological control agents' genetic diversity available to manage FAW and BPH
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Increasing knowledge and confidence in best practices for farmer communication
Cross-cutting:
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A better understanding of target pests FAW and BPH population structure to support the development of ecologically sound and sustainable management strategies.
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An appreciation for the importance of research collaboration to address transboundary plant pests, diseases, and biosecurity threats
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Development of IPM strategies that can lead to a reduction of conventional chemical pesticides.
This page is not a publication of the FAO and any information expressed on this page does not seek to represent or imply the expression of any opinion or position whatsoever on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Webinars
Two masterclass sessions were held in 2025 on two topics that are central to the work of the project:
Bioassay Masterclass
Prof. Andi Trisyono from Universitas Gadjah Mada. He discussed how to evaluate toxicity, covering topics such as the relationship between dosage and mortality, selection of bioassay procedures, data analysis, and the application of results. At the end of his presentation, there was a Q&A session for all the speakers.
Valentina Aryuwandari, a research assistant at Universitas Gadjah Mada discussed probit analysis, data preparation for probit analysis, and a comparison of software tools.
Dr Divina Amalin from De La Salle University in the Philippines discusses the challenges and insights gained from undertaking bioassays of fall armyworms.
Genomics Masterclass
Dr. Wee Tek Tay (CSIRO, Macquarie University) talks about the use of genomics for advancing plant health, pest management, and biosecurity. This session included Dr Tay's presentation as well as discussion in the final part of this webinar.
Dr Bea Apirajkamol (CSIRO) presented on using genomics to find potential biocontrol solutions of fall armyworm.
Dr Heng Lin Yeap from CSIRO, presented on challenges & future opportunities in population genomics – with brief insights into gene drive risk evaluation.
Dr Jianpeng Zhang from Yancheng Teachers University talks about using genomics to manage the cotton bollworm.
Workshops
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First Workshop: 4-6 December 2023 in Hanoi, Vietnam
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Second Workshop: August 2024 in Lao PDR, September 2024 in Sri Lanka
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Third Workshop: July 2025 in Bali, Indonesia
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Fourth Workshop: August 2026 in Sri Lanka.
First Workshop
Hanoi, 4-6th December 2023
Researchers from across South Asia -Southeast Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Vietnam), Australia, and South Korea met in Hanoi for 3 days from 4-6 December 2023 to kick off the new 3-year Asia Diagnostics, Monitoring, and Surveillance Program on Fall Armyworm (FAW) and Brown Planthopper (BPH).
Third Workshop
Bali, 21-25th July 2025
Small Research Project:
Enhancing the Role of Egg Parasitoids to Reduce Insecticide Applications in FAW Control
Egg parasitoids can suppress fall armyworm (FAW), contributing up to 40% of egg mortality and doing more where surrounding plant diversity is higher (Rizky et al.). Yet corn stays susceptible all season — females lay mainly in the vegetative stage, but larvae persist to twelve weeks after transplanting — and how these natural enemies perform in the field remains poorly understood. Because corn's place in Indonesia's cropping calendar shifts across the year, tracking how FAW populations and egg parasitism change across seasons could show when to conserve and strengthen these parasitoids — a more feasible approach in tropical systems than introducing exotic ones. This study is monitoring FAW in two contrasting maize areas, Klaten and Grobogan, using pheromone traps alongside field observations of egg occurrence, plant damage, and parasitism to clarify population dynamics and the role of natural enemies. The study is being conducted by Dr Andi Trisyono and Hadvina Nur Hendrayanti at the Universitas Gadjah Mada Indonesia.