Abstract: Common bean is an essential crop for food security, nutrition, and country economy mainly for Sub-Saharan African’s smallholder farmers. However, the production and productivity of common bean is mainly constrained by post-harvest loss induced by Mexican bean beetle. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of Plant seed powders (neem, Hochst and wild marigold), leaf powders (sweet fennel and broad-leaved croton), plant essential oils (neem and Hochst...
Abstract: The fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a devastating pest of maize which has recently invaded the African continent. Since its first reports in Africa in 2016, it has spread rapidly in Zambia and it is causing extensive damage to maize and other cereal crops. The efficacy of the integration of botanical pesticides with entomopathogenic fungi and synthetic pesticide, on FAW were tested under field conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block des...
Abstract: Insects are among the most successful organisms in the animal Kingdom. Their capacity to survive and reproduce depends greatly on their ability to identify and respond selectively to cues from a heterogeneous environment. They can identify conspecifics and mates, differentiate between hosts, both plant and animal, and distinguish between many microclimatic factors such as variation in humidity, temperature and airflow. All these factors are attributed to the complexity of their sen...
Abstract: The honeybee, Apis mellifera L., is indispensable to global food security, poverty alleviation and natural biodiversity conservation. However, the ecto-parasitic mite Varroa destructor and its associated pathogens are one of the most serious threats to the health of honeybees, especially both wild and managed European honeybees found in Europe and North America. In contrast to European honeybees, their African counterparts appear to be minimally affected by these stressors. However...
Abstract: The East African region is a major hot bed for old and newly emerging arboviral diseases that are occurring with increasing frequency and magnitude. The lack of effective treatment or preventive vaccinations for most of these infections emphasizes the need for surveillance to monitor circulation, which is critical for informing public health decision for early warning and response. Monitoring mosquito populations and mosquito-borne virus activity are the cornerstones of surveillanc...
Abstract: Nitrogen (N) deficit is one of the limiting factors to food security in most developing countries while the excessive use of N has resulted in environmental contamination. Timely N availability, at the right rate is crucial to improving crop yield and N use efficiency in farming systems. Therefore, understanding nitrogen dynamics under different farming systems is essential to improve N use and recovery efficiencies of crops and in addressing environmental impacts associated with i...
Abstract: Pachnoda interrupta (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a damaging pest of sorghum,other cereals and horticultural crops such as maize, wheat, barley, bananas, guava etc. in Africa which at times results in complete crop losses. Current control strategies heavily rely on chemical pesticides. Controlling adult beetles through application of insecticides,in addition to being detrimental to the environment and the ecology, does not provide long lasting control.Thus, efficient biol...
Abstract: Tsetse flies (Glossinidae) are important biological vectors of trypanosomes, the protozoan parasites that cause Nagana and sleeping sickness. They are distinguished into three taxonomic groups; morsitans, palpalis and fusca. Morsitans and palpalis group tsetse species are the most important vectors of both nagana and sleeping sickness. Control methods of nagana and sleeping sickness that target the vector all exploit particular aspects of tsetse biology. So far none of the methods ...
Abstract: Pathogens causing African animal trypanosomiasis (AAT), the major livestock disease in subSaharan Africa, belong to the salivarian group of the African trypanosomes, which are transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly (Glossina spec.). T. vivax, T. congolense and T. brucei brucei are major pathogens of cattle in particular, causing nagana, with dramatic socio-economic consequences for the affected regions. The parasites additionally have a huge reservoir of other livestock and wild...
Abstract: The thesis answers the general question of whether the quality of artificially reared insect species should be based on performance tests for intended use or whether quality should be based on a more holistic biological approach. The empirical research is carried out using the lepidopteran leafroller 'Cnephasia' jactatana (Walker). The thesis defines biological performance and quality in terms of the success of an insect population in survival and reproduction and regards the labor...
Abstract: The maize stalk borer Busseola fusca Fuller is a serious pest of maize in the highland areas of Kenya. In an effort to generate information that could be useful for integrated management of the pest, the main factors studied in the current investigations were its biology and ecology. Other studies involved its population patterns in relation to planting dates, crop losses caused by the pest and evaluation of crop loss assessment techniques used in estimation of losses due to ~. fus...
Abstract: Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the quantities of maize and sorghum stems consumed by larvae of C. partellus and C. orichalcociliel/us as an indication of the amount of damage caused by these species to cereal crops. Results revealed that larvae of C. partellus consumed a greater quantity of maize than C. orichalcociliel/us on a daily basis and throughout the larval lifetime. C. partellus also consumed more sorghum than C. orichalcociliellus on a daily basis, but bot...
Abstract: Busseala fusca (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae) is one of the most important insect pests of maize and sorghum in Africa, south of the Sahara. Last instar larvae of this species survive the dry season in the stalks and stubbles of their host plants by undergoing diapause. The present study was done with the main objective of investigating the involvement of the neuroendocrine system during the development of the last instar larvae with respect to non-diapause and diapause development. The m...
Abstract: Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are notorious pests of horticultural crops, causing significant economic losses especially in the tropics. The conventional approaches utilized in controlling these pests including biological and chemical methods are relatively inefficient and targets mostly males, making it imperative to identify new Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools that are effective and economically sustainable. To boost current efforts in fruit fly control, females shoul...
Abstract: An agglutinin with trypsin activity was purified from the midgut extracts of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood using a combination of ion exchange and affinity column chromatography procedures. The molecule had a native apparent molecular weight (Mr) of -65,700 and consisted of two non-covalently linked subunits; an a. subunit (-28,800 Da) and a B subunit (~35,700 Da). The B subunit was shown to have a glycosyl residue. This agglutinin had a bloodstream trypanosome agglutinatio...