Biocontrol

Forest proximity positively affects natural enemy mediated control of fall armyworm in Southern Africa

The fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is a major crop pest in southern Africa. It threatens the livelihoods and food security of smallholder farmers in the region by negatively impacting maize yield. Although scientific evidence suggests …

Agro-ecological options for fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) management in sub-Saharan Africa: Providing low-cost, smallholder friendly solutions to an invasive pest

Fall armyworm (FAW), a voracious agricultural pest native to North and South America, was first detected on the African continent in 2016 and has subsequently spread throughout the continent and across Asia. It has been predicted that FAW could …

Landscape composition overrides field level management effects on maize stemborer control in Ethiopia

Lepidopteran stemborers are a serious pest of maize in Africa. While farmers have adopted cultural control practices at the field scale, it is not clear how these practices affect stemborer infestation levels and how their efficacy is influenced by …

Low-Cost Management and Landscape Agronomic Practices Approaches to Control FAW

Understanding the factors influencing fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) damage in African smallholder maize fields and quantifying its impact on yield. A case study in Eastern Zimbabwe

Fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) is an invasive lepidopteran pest established in most of sub-Saharan Africa since 2016. Although the immediate reaction of governments has been to invest in chemical pesticides, control methods …

Implications of changes in land cover and landscape structure for the biocontrol potential of stemborers in Ethiopia

The land cover and structure of agricultural landscapes may influence the abundance and diversity of natural enemies of crop pests. However, these landscapes are continuously evolving due to changing land uses and agricultural practices. Here we …

Unpacking the push-pull system: Assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity

The push-pull system, a stimulo-deterrent cropping strategy consisting of intercropping cereals with herbaceous legumes and surrounded by fodder grasses, is presented as a promising crop diversification strategy for small- holder farmers in Africa as …