Abstract: BACKGROUND Maize production in Africa is hindered by a myriad of biotic challenges, key among them being invasive and native lepidopteran stemborers. Recent invasion of the continent by fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, has further exacerbated the situation. Fortunately, Cotesia icipe was found to be very promising against S. frugiperda. However, the co-occurrence and interaction between S. frugiperda and the stemborers (Busseola fusca, Sesamia calamistis, and Chilo partellus) ...
Abstract: Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are a major concern in agriculture as they cause significant crop damage resulting in yield losses and economic losses for farmers (FAO, 2019). For the past 50 years, the control of PPNs has relied heavily on the use of synthetic nematicides and soil fumigants, which have been effective in rapidly controlling nematode populations. However, due to environmental and health concerns, many traditional nematicides have been banned or withdrawn from the m...
Abstract: The negative effects of pest infestation on agricultural production cannot be underestimated. There have been several efforts to control these pests, chiefly through the use of synthetic pesticides. However, the continuous use of the chemicals causes pest resistance and resurgence and presents high human and environmental risks. This study examines the economic, health, and environmental impacts of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick 1917), an economically important pest in tomato production, a...
Abstract: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a devastating invasive pest and a threat to food security in Africa, with yield losses of 20–50%. Recent studies highlighted the importance of cereal crops such as maize and sorghum as the most preferred host plants for FAW oviposition. In the current work, we investigated the olfactory responses of FAW and its key larval endoparasitoid Cotesia icipe to odours from the preferred host (maize) in the presence of six potential compa...
Abstract: Background Agricultural research and technology adoption play a key role in improving productivity and therefore generate impact on household livelihoods. The push–pull technology developed by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology and collaborators/partners has been recognized for its multiple roles in productivity improvement and income generation. However, the subsequent impacts after its adaptation to drier agro-ecologies have not been ascertained. An ex-po...
Abstract: The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta is a destructive invasive pest of cultivated tomato and other Solanaceae plants, with yield losses of 80-100%. Mirid predators are key natural enemies of T. absoluta, but they also feed on host plants in the absence of their prey. Management of T. absoluta is a challenge due to its high biotic potential, resistance to many insecticides and the absence of sufficiently adapted auxiliary fauna in its new dispersion zones. Olfaction plays an importan...
Abstract: Bean leaf beetles (BLBs) (Ootheca spp.) are important field insect pests of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in agricultural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. A survey of 128 farmers was conducted in Arua, Hoima, Lira, and Lwengo districts in Uganda, where the common bean is a major food and income crop. This paper evaluated farmers’ knowledge, control strategies, and challenges in managing BLBs. Over 87% of the farmers in Arua and Lira could identify BLBs by local names,...
Abstract: Following its recent invasion of African countries, fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), now co-exists with resident stemborers such as Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) causing severe damage to maize crops. Due to niche overlap, interspecific interactions occur among the three species, but the mechanisms and degree remain unclear. In this study, we assessed plant-mediated intraspecific and interspec...
Abstract: Organic agriculture (OA) is often regarded as a sustainable agricultural pathway for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, and an increasing number of initiatives promoting OA were initiated over the last decades. However, holistic empirical evidence on the effects of such initiatives on the sustainability of smallholder farmers is still scanty. We analyzed the effects of five initiatives promoting OA on farm-level sustainability. We selected farmers exposed to the initiatives...
Abstract: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), native to the Americas, was confirmed in West and Central Africa in 2016 and reported in almost all countries of sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, becoming thereafter one of the major constraints on the production of maize, the main staple food crop in the region. Cereals depend on silicon (Si)-based defences to fight off herbivores. Both FAW strains, namely rice and corn strains, have been found to be present in Ke...
Abstract: Climate variability in the tropics is partly associated with reduced and erratic precipitation, heat waves, and cold snaps thereby exerting abiotic environmental stressors to various arthropod species. For herbivorous insects, such extreme weather events may affect host plant quality and availability resulting in additional stressors such as desiccation and starvation. Neolema abbreviata Larcordaire (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a key biocontrol agent of Tradescantia fluminensis V...
Abstract: The introduction of fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on the African continent has led to paradigm shifts in pest control in maize systems, occasioned by year-round populations. The discovery of resident parasitoid species adapting to the new pest significantly informed decision-making toward avoiding highly hazardous synthetic insecticides to control the pest. A number of biopesticides have shown promise against the fall armyworm, provid...
Abstract: Black soldier fly farming is gaining traction globally as a strategy for recycling organic waste into high-quality proteins and fat for feed and organic fertilizer for crop production. The support of governments in East Africa to integrate insect meal in livestock feed has opened opportunities for commercializing insect products. Understanding the potential value of Black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) is paramount to inform policies and practices to promote insect farming and ins...
Abstract: Although the black soldier fly frass fertiliser (BSFFF) is globally recognised as a promising and potential high-quality organic fertiliser, there is inadequate information on its impact on the growth performance and nutritional status of maize. Furthermore, no information exist on their combination with mineral fertiliser (NPK) as well as economic impact on maize production. This study evaluated the comparative impact of BSFFF, NPK and commercial organic fertiliser (Evergrow®) on...
Abstract: Soil microbes have a wide range of distribution across the world and can be found in different agricultural and forest systems including cultivated soils, ant mounds, decaying trees, leaves, roots, and on insect bodies. Across five counties of Guangdong province of China, the assemblage of bacterial associates of red imported fire ant (RIFA) were examined. The locations were selected based on evidence of high presence of RIFA mounds in these regions. Samples were analyzed from moun...