Maize plants can recover from fall armyworm damage under optimum crop production conditions in humid tropical agro-ecologies.

Farmers in Africa perceive the impact of fall armyworm (FAW) on maize to be significant, but field assessments have shown that yield losses are not significant enough to warrant pesticide interventions. This suggests that relationships between the crop stages, time, and duration of attack can affect the yield. Therefore, assessing the plant's recovery from damage using individual plants based on defoliation levels could guide whether and when pesticides should be applied.

New okra genotypes for the management of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the diverse ecological landscapes of Central Africa.

Various aphid species, including Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), are considered important pests of okra and other vegetables. Previous studies under 1 environment in Cameroon, Central Africa, had found multiple okra genotypes with resistance to A. gossypii.

Impact of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on maize yield in humid tropical zones of Central Africa.

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Smith, became the most important maize pest in Africa in 2016, with management based on chemical pesticides. High yield losses across the continent were predicted based on farmers' perceptions, but existing agroecological differences were not considered. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, experiments were conducted to assess fall armyworm damage and yield losses in maize farms with and without treatment.

Pheromone traps and climate variations influence populations of Sahlbergella singularis (Hemiptera: Miridae) and associated damage of cocoa in Cameroon.

Knowledge of insect pest ecology and biology is important for maximizing crop protection and reducing crop losses. Currently, we lack an efficient control program for the cocoa mirid Sahlbergella singularis Haglund (Hemiptera: Miridae), the principal insect pest of cocoa in West and Central Africa. A 2-yr study was conducted in 11 plantations across Ayos and Konye, two of the largest cocoa growing areas of Cameroon.

Histological and biophysical changes of cassava roots during retting, a key step of fufu processing.

Background: Retting is a key step of cassava processing into widely consumed foods (fufu, chikwangue, miondo and bobolo) in sub-Saharan Africa. For some populations, retting ability is a major quality criterion that drives the adoption of new cassava varieties. Despite this importance, the physiological basis associated with this process remains poorly understood, and should lead to improved screening tools for breeding.

Bionomic responses of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) to lethal and sublethal concentrations of selected insecticides.

Since 2016, the invasive insect Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the Americas has made maize production unattainable without pesticides in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

A Global Assessment of the State of Plant Health.

The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA) is a collective, volunteer-based effort to assemble expert opinions on plant health and disease impacts on ecosystem services based on published scientific evidence. The GPHA considers a range of forest, agricultural, and urban systems worldwide. These are referred to as (Ecoregion × Plant System), i.

Reliability of Pheromone Trap Catches and Maize Plant Damage as Criteria for Timing Fall Armyworm Control Interventions in Humid Forest Agroecology of Central Africa.

Control of fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) since its invasion of Africa still depends on pesticides.

Tephritid Fruit Fly Species Composition, Seasonality, and Fruit Infestations in Two Central African Agro-Ecological Zones.

and several Africa-native species are serious constraints to fruit production in sub-Saharan Africa. A long-term trapping and fruit collection study was conducted (2011-2016) in two contrasting agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Cameroon to determine fruit fly species composition, seasonality, attraction to various lures and baits, and fruit infestation levels. Ten tephritid species from genera , , , and were captured in traps.

Germplasm A and B Genomic Composition Differentially Affects Their Susceptibility to Banana Bunchy Top Virus and Its Aphid Vector, .

Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD), caused by the banana bunchy top virus (BBTV, genus ), is the most destructive viral disease of banana and plantain ( spp.). The virus is transmitted persistently by the banana aphid, Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae).

A Molecular Survey of Bacterial Species in the Guts of Black Soldier Fly Larvae () Reared on Two Urban Organic Waste Streams in Kenya.

Globally, the expansion of livestock and fisheries production is severely constrained due to the increasing costs and ecological footprint of feed constituents. The utilization of black soldier fly (BSF) as an alternative protein ingredient to fishmeal and soybean in animal feed has been widely documented. The black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) used are known to voraciously feed and grow in contaminated organic wastes.

Temperature-dependent phenology of the parasitoid Fopius arisanus on the host Bactrocera dorsalis.

Fopius arisanus (Sonan), an egg-pupal parasitoid of numerous fruit fly species, was recently introduced into Africa for the control of the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). In this study, life-table data of F. arisanus were generated under laboratory conditions at six constant temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 28 and 35 °C; 75% RH, L12:D12 photoperiod) and under variable conditions in a screenhouse on B.

Local adaptation in thermal tolerance for a tropical butterfly across ecotone and rainforest habitats.

Thermal adaptation to habitat variability can determine species vulnerability to environmental change. For example, physiological tolerance to naturally low thermal variation in tropical forests species may alter their vulnerability to climate change impacts, compared with open habitat species. However, the extent to which habitat-specific differences in tolerance derive from within-generation versus across-generation ecological or evolutionary processes are not well characterized.

Natural Enemies of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Different Agro-Ecologies.

Fall armyworm (FAW) (J.E. Smith) and southern armyworm (SAW) (Stoll) have become major threats to crops in Africa since 2016.

Temperature-based phenology model to predict the development, survival, and reproduction of the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis.

The oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a major pest of fruit and vegetable production systems on several continents. The pest has invaded many countries, causing considerable impact on fruit production systems and commercialization. In this study we determined the relationship between temperature and development, survival and reproductive parameters of B.

Global Habitat Suitability of (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae): Key Parasitoids Considered for Its Biological Control.

The present study is the first modeling effort at a global scale to predict habitat suitability of fall armyworm (FAW), and its key parasitoids, namely , and , to be considered for biological control. An adjusted procedure of a machine-learning algorithm, the maximum entropy (Maxent), was applied for the modeling experiments. Model predictions showed particularly high establishment potential of the five hymenopteran parasitoids in areas that are heavily affected by FAW (like the coastal belt of West Africa from Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to Nigeria, the Congo basin to Eastern Africa, Eastern, Southern and Southeastern Asia and some portions of Eastern Australia) and those of potential invasion risks (western & southern Europe).

New cassava germplasm for food and nutritional security in Central Africa.

Cassava is a key food security crop in Central Africa, but its production depends largely on the use of local farmers' varieties characterized by inherently low yield which is compounded by generally high susceptibility to various growth and yield-limiting pests and diseases. Improved cassava genotypes have demonstrated the potential to substantially improve cassava's contribution to food security and the development of the cassava industry and the improvement of nutrition status elsewhere in Western Africa. Eleven improved cassava genotypes were compared with a local landrace (LMR) used as a check under field conditions over two years in eight locations, grouped in four agro-ecologies in Cameroon.

Exploring Black Soldier Fly Frass as Novel Fertilizer for Improved Growth, Yield, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Maize Under Field Conditions.

Black soldier fly frass fertilizer (BSFFF) is increasingly gaining momentum worldwide as organic fertilizer. However, research on its performance on crop production remains largely unknown. Here, we evaluate the comparative performance of BSFFF and commercial organic fertilizer (SAFI) on maize (H513) production.

Biochar and gypsum amendment of agro-industrial waste for enhanced black soldier fly larval biomass and quality frass fertilizer.

Black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens L.) is one of the most efficient bio-waste recyclers. Although, waste substrate amendments with biochar or gypsum during composting process are known to enhance nutrient retention, their impact on agro-industrial waste have not been documented.

Diversity and structure of prokaryotic communities within organic and conventional farming systems in central highlands of Kenya.

Management practices such as tillage, crop rotation, irrigation, organic and inorganic inputs application are known to influence diversity and function of soil microbial populations. In this study, we investigated the effect of conventional versus organic farming systems at low and high input levels on structure and diversity of prokaryotic microbial communities. Soil samples were collected from the ongoing long-term farming system comparison trials established in 2007 at Chuka and Thika in Kenya.

Insights in the Global Genetics and Gut Microbiome of Black Soldier Fly, : Implications for Animal Feed Safety Control.

The utilization of the black soldier fly (BSF) L. for recycling organic waste into high-quality protein and fat biomass for animal feeds has gained momentum worldwide. However, information on the genetic diversity and environmental implications on safety of the larvae is limited.

Integrated Management of in Cowpea Using Intercropping and Entomopathogenic Fungi under Field Conditions.

Cowpea aphid, , is a major cowpea pest. Cowpea-cereal intercrop alone does not effectively manage the pest. Use of pesticides in intercrop leads to health and environmental risks.

Effects of Traditional Processing Techniques on the Nutritional and Microbiological Quality of Four Edible Insect Species Used for Food and Feed in East Africa.

Edible insects are increasingly being considered as food and feed ingredients because of their rich nutrient content. Already, edible insect farming has taken-off in Africa, but quality and safety concerns call for simple, actionable hazard control mechanisms. We examined the effects of traditional processing techniques-boiling, toasting, solar-drying, oven-drying, boiling + oven-drying, boiling + solar-drying, toasting + oven-drying, toasting + solar-drying-on the proximate composition and microbiological quality of adult and , the prepupae of and 5th instar larvae of .