Authors:
Chidege M.
, Abisgold J.
, Hassan N.
, Al-zaidi S.
, Mrosso S.
|
Abstract:
Fall armyworm is a food security threat in many African countries where its invasion into the
continent is not only associated with crop yield losses but also the loss of biodiversity due to the
unguided use of insecticides by many of the farming communities. The testing and adoption of a
biorational pest management approach as part of integrated pest management is therefore of
primary importance to enable the intensification of agriculture while maintaining health
ecosystems. This study describes field trials on farmers' maize in Tanzania of three biorational
products known to be effective against other Lepidopteran pests; abamectin (5%), Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) var kurstaki (1.4%) plus abamectin (0.1%) and Metarhizium anisopliae (2%).
The results showed that treating maize with any of the three biorational solutions reduced the
damage caused by fall armyworm to less than 5%, in comparison to 25% damage seen in
untreated maize. The reduction in damage resulted in final maize yields being 50 to 70% higher
in the treated than the untreated crops. This study therefore demonstrates the effectiveness of this
technology in managing fall armyworm for farmers in Tanzania and other African countries. |
