Abstract: This study sought to evaluate the oviposition responses of Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on maize plants exposed to Brachiaria brizantha Stapf following oviposition by C. partellus and nonexposed maize. Two Kenyan maize landraces (Jowi and Nyamula), Latin America landrace (Cuba 91) and WH505 (hybrid variety) (control) were studied. The result demonstrated that C. partellus deposited a significantly lower number of eggs and egg batches on Nyamula, Jowi and Cuba 91 maize p...
Abstract: Using new survey data from rural Kenya, this paper assesses the moderating effect of women’s empowerment on the relationship between agricultural technology adoption and women’s dietary diversity. We use a multiple treatment endogenous switching regression framework to control for potential endogeneity of women’s empowerment and technology adoption. We find that women’s empowerment has a positive and significant effect on the women’s dietary diversity score regardless of ...
Abstract: Background: Symbiotic interactions between insects and bacteria have been associated with a vast variety of physiological, ecological and evolutionary consequences for the host. A wide range of bacterial communities have been found in association with the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), an important pest of cultivated fruit in most regions of the world. We evaluated the diversity of gut bacteria in B. dorsalis specimens from several populati...
Abstract: Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a widely consumed staple food crop worldwide whose production is threatened by potato cyst nematodes (PCN). To infect a host, PCN eggs first need to be stimulated to hatch by chemical components in the host root exudates, yet it remains unknown how most root exudate components influence PCN behavior. Here, we evaluated the influence of eight compounds identified by LC-QqQ-MS in the root exudate of potato on the hatching response of the PCN, Globodera r...
Abstract: To sustain agricultural development in Africa, innovative strategies for addressing a myriad of biotic and abiotic constraints facing the agricultural systems must be established. One current biotic stress is the mango infesting fruit flies. In the effort to contain the widely spreading and damaging invasive species of tephritid fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) (Hendel), an area-wide integrated pest management (IPM) program is being promoted in the horticultural sub-sector in sub-Sa...
Abstract: Push–pull involves intercropping of cereals with Desmodium as a “push” crop and planting Napier grass/Brachiaria as the “pull” crop at the border. The technology has been reported to effectively control stemborers, striga weed, and fall armyworm (FAW), and to improve soil nutrition, resulting in increased grain yield. This study evaluated the impact of stemborer and FAW management using this technology on incidence of maize ear rots and preharvest contamination of grains ...
Abstract: Nitrogen fertilisation and plant spacing hold potential for the integrated management of rice insect pests. Field experiments were conducted in Kilombero, Tanzania to evaluate the effects of plant spacing and nitrogenous fertiliser on incidences and density of spotted and African pink stem borers. A 3 × 4 × 4 factorial experiment was used in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments included application of urea fertiliser at four levels (0, 40...
Abstract: Urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS) caused by Schistosoma haematobium is endemic in the South West Region of Cameroon. An understanding of the abundance and distribution of the Bulinus snail, intermediate host can inform strategic snail control programmes at a local scale. This study investigated seasonal dynamics and environmental factors influencing occurrence and abundance of freshwater snail intermediate hosts in Tiko, a semi-urban endemic focus in the Mount Cameroon area. A longi...
Abstract: Both field- and landscape-scale factors can influence the predator communities of agricultural pests, but the relative importance and interactions between these scales are poorly understood. Focusing on spiders, an important taxon for providing biological control, we tested the influence of field- and landscape-scale factors on structuring the spider communities in a highly dynamic brassica agroecosystem. We found that local factors (pesticide-use and crop type) and forested landsc...
Abstract: Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) production contributes to the economic growth of East Africa. However, poor fruit quality caused by infestations of tephritid fruit flies (Tephritidae) and the false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick), hampers access to lucrative export markets. Remote sensing and spatial analysis are increasingly applied to crop pest studies to develop sustainable and cost-effective control strategies. In this study, we assessed pest abundance in Mura...
Abstract: The fall armyworm (FAW) has recently invaded and become an important pest of maizein Africa causing yield losses reaching up to a third of maize annual production. The present studyevaluated different aspects of resistance of six maize cultivars, cropped by farmers in Kenya, toFAW larvae feeding under laboratory and field conditions. We assessed the arrestment and feedingof FAW neonate larvae in no-choice and choice experiments, development of larvae-pupae, foodassimilation under l...
Abstract: Tritrophic interactions allow plants to recruit natural enemies for protection against herbivory. Here we investigated genetic variability in induced responses to stemborer egg-laying in maize Zea mays (L.) (Poaceae). We conducted a genome wide association study (GWAS) of 146 maize genotypes comprising of landraces, inbred lines and commercial hybrids. Plants were phenotyped in bioassays measuring parasitic wasp Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) attraction to vol...
Abstract: Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) has become a serious menace to sustainable production of tomato in Kenya. A survey was conducted between April 2015 and June 2016 to determine its distribution,abundance, infestation, and damage levels on tomato, and associated natural enemies. Trap counts of T. absoluta moths were recorded in all surveyed 29 counties, which indicated its nationwide distribution irrespective of altitude. Tuta absoluta was present in both open fields and greenhouses. The high...
Abstract: Mobile smartphones, open-source set tools, and mobile applications have provided vast opportunities for timely, accurate, and seamless data collection, aggregation, storage, and analysis of agricultural data in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In this paper, we advanced and demonstrated the practical use and application of a mobile smartphone-based tool, i.e., the Open Data Kit (ODK), to assemble and keep track of real-time maize (Zea mays L.) phenological data in three SSA countries. Far...
Abstract: Push–pull technology (PPT) is one of the most viable low-cost agroecological practices that reduces the effects of insect pest infestations (e.g., stemborer) and parasitic weeds (e.g., Striga) in croplands. PPT was evaluated in low-fertility soils and two farming practices, minimum-tilled conservation agriculture practice (CA), and conventionally tilled practice (CP), in contrasting agroecological zones at the Chitedze, Mbawa, and Chitala stations in Malawi. Stemborer and Striga ...