Can a newly discovered soil fungus stop the devastating African armyworm when chemicals have failed?

The African armyworm is a highly destructive migratory pest that damages maize, sorghum, millet and sugarcane. These caterpillars also cause indirect damage to livestock as they destroy grazing lands and pastures. The last major outbreak of armyworm in southern Africa was from February to April 2025. It affected South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces and neighbouring Zimbabwe. Controlling armyworm has proved a major challenge. The most common method has been…