Control Potential of Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV) Isolated from Fall Armyworm in Nigeria (West Africa).

The fall armyworm (FAW) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) has now become an invasive pest of global concern. The pest was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016. Sustainable management options explored by stakeholders during early FAW invasion in Africa included the use of biopesticides and biological control.

Perspective article: Food security in tropical Africa through climate-smart plant health management.

Each year, Africa loses half of its harvest to pests (insects, pathogens, nematodes, weeds). To offset these losses and improve food security, pest management needs to be revamped urgently. Based on a synthesis of all 58 pest management projects conducted by IITA in its 55-year history, we advocate here for the implementation of the five following key climate-smart interventions, which have been shown to increase yields and decreasing CO outputs compared to the current practices that are largely based on the use of synthetic pesticides: 1.

The case for integrated pest management in Africa: transition from a pesticide-based approach.

Pest management in major cropping systems has long been dominated by chemical pesticides in Africa. Smallholder farmers have perceived pesticides as insurance to protect their crops. Consumers are less aware of pesticide-related food-safety issues, and markets providing economic incentives to producers who adopt alternatives to pesticides have been slow to emerge.

How does IPM 3.0 look like (and why do we need it in Africa)?

The concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was introduced sixty years ago to curb the overuse of agricultural pesticides, whereby its simplest version (IPM 1.0) was aiming at reducing the frequency of applications. Gradually, agro-ecological principles, such as biological control and habitat management, were included in IPM 2.

Seasonal Variations of Host Plant Diversity and Parasitoid Complex in Southern and Central Benin.

Fall armyworm (FAW) (J.E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was recorded for the first time in 2016 attacking maize fields in central and west Africa.

Proteo-Trancriptomic Analyses Reveal a Large Expansion of Metalloprotease-Like Proteins in Atypical Venom Vesicles of the Wasp (Braconidae).

(Ichneumonoidea, Braconidae) is an endoparasitoid wasp of lepidopteran caterpillars. Its parasitic success relies on vesicles (named Virus-Like Particles or MpVLPs) that are synthesized in the venom gland and injected into the parasitoid host along with the venom during oviposition. In order to define the content and understand the biogenesis of these atypical vesicles, we performed a transcriptome analysis of the venom gland and a proteomic analysis of the venom and purified MpVLPs.

Horizon scanning to assess the bioclimatic potential for the alien species Spodoptera eridania and its parasitoids after pest detection in West and Central Africa.

Background: The southern armyworm (SAW) Spodoptera eridania (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is native to the tropical Americas where the pest can feed on more than 100 plant species. SAW was recently detected in West and Central Africa, feeding on various crops including cassava, cotton, amaranth and tomato. The current work was carried out to predict the potential spatial distribution of SAW and four of its co-evolved parasitoids at a global scale using the maximum entropy (Maxent) algorithm.

Progeny fitness determines the performance of the parasitoid Therophilus javanus, a prospective biocontrol agent against the legume pod borer.

Therophilus javanus (Bhat & Gupta) is an exotic larval endoparasitoid newly imported from Asia into Africa as a classical biological control agent against the pod borer Maruca vitrata (Fabricius). The parasitoid preference for the five larval instars of M. vitrata and their influence on progeny sex ratio were assessed together with the impact of larval host age at the time of oviposition on development time, mother longevity and offspring production.

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).

Emergence of as a Major Pest of Food Legumes and Evolution of Management Practices in Asia and Africa.

Legume pod borer, , has emerged as a major pest on food legumes in Asia and Africa. It is an oligophagous pest, feeding on over 70 species in Fabaceae. We examine the species complex in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, with an emphasis on molecular taxonomy.

Identification of sources of resistance in cowpea mini core accessions to Koch (Homoptera: Aphididae) and their biochemical characterization.

Cowpea ( (L. Walp) is an important grain legume for human and livestock nutrition, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Aphid, Koch (Homoptera: Aphididae), is one of the most widespread and destructive insect pests of cowpea and host-plant resistance is an effective approach to minimize the pest damage at seedling stage.

A preliminary analysis on the effect of copper on Anopheles coluzzii insecticide resistance in vegetable farms in Benin.

The use of agrochemicals in vegetable production could influence the selection for insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information on the potential contribution of agrochemicals to insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes breeding on vegetable farms in southern Benin. A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices study was conducted with 75 vegetable farmers from Houeyiho and Seme to determine the main agrochemicals used in vegetable production, and the concentration and frequency of application, among other details.

Evaluation of cowpea mini core accessions for resistance to flower bud thrips Trybom (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

The flower bud thrips, Trybom (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is an economically important pest of cowpea in sub-Saharan Africa. Varietal resistance is the most preferred, environmentally friendly, cost-effective and sustainable option for controlling this pest. The objective of this study was to identify sources of resistance to among mini core accessions from the largest world cowpea germplasm collection maintained at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

Isopentyl Butanoate: Aggregation Pheromone of the Brown Spiny Bug, Clavigralla tomentosicollis (Hemiptera: Coreidae), and Kairomone for the Egg Parasitoid Gryon sp. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae).

The brown spiny bug, Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål (Hemiptera: Coreidae) is a key pest of leguminous crops in many countries in Africa, causing significant yield losses especially in cowpea, pigeon pea and common beans. Although C. tomentosicollis uses olfaction to aggregate, little is known about the identity of the aggregation pheromone.

Susceptibility Profiles of (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Deltamethrin Reveal a Contrast between the Northern and the Southern Benin.

is an indigenous species in Africa and has been reported in the destruction of several crops in Benin. Management of pest is mainly focused on the use of synthetic pyrethroids, which may contribute to resistance selection. This study aimed to screen the susceptibility pattern of field populations of to deltamethrin in Benin.

Genome of the African cassava whitefly Bemisia tabaci and distribution and genetic diversity of cassava-colonizing whiteflies in Africa.

The whitefy Bemisia tabaci, a species complex consisting of many morphologically indistinguishable species divided into distinct clades, is one of the most globally important agricultural pests and plant virus vectors. Cassava-colonizing B. tabaci transmits viruses that cause cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD).

Biopesticide based sustainable pest management for safer production of vegetable legumes and brassicas in Asia and Africa.

Vegetables are one of the important crops which could alleviate poverty and malnutrition among the smallholder farmers in tropical Asia and Africa. However, a plethora of pests limit the productivity of these crops, leading to economic losses. Vegetable producers overwhelmingly rely on chemical pesticides in order to reduce pest-caused economic losses.

Volatiles from (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) host plants influence olfactory responses of the parasitoid (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae).

Plants damaged by herbivores are known to release odors attracting parasitoids. However, there is currently no information how leguminous plants damaged by the pod borer attract the exotic larval parasitoid , which was imported into Benin from the putative area of origin of the pod borer in tropical Asia for assessing its potential as a biological control agent. In this study, we used Y-tube olfactometer bioassays to investigate response towards odors emitted by four -damaged host plants: cowpea , the most important cultivated host, and the naturally occurring legumes and .

The Rapid Degradation of Lambda-Cyhalothrin Makes Treated Vegetables Relatively Safe for Consumption.

Lambda-cyhalothrin (λ-cyhalothrin) is the most commonly used pyrethroid insecticide for vegetable farming in Benin. This insecticide is misused and overused by farmers, and hence may pose health hazards to consumers. We monitored λ-cyhalothrin residues in lettuce and cabbage from farms at the market gates in Cotonou and Parakou using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis techniques.

Domestic animals infected with Mycobacterium ulcerans-Implications for transmission to humans.

Background: The environmental pathogen, Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU) can infect both humans and animals and cause Buruli ulcer (BU) disease. However, its mode(s) of transmission from the colonized environment to human/animal hosts remain unclear. In Australia, MU can infect both wildlife and domestic mammals.

Measurement of Pesticide Residues from Chemical Control of the Invasive (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in a Maize Experimental Field in Mokwa, Nigeria.

The management of the fall armyworm in maize field necessitates the use a big quantities of insecticides and sometimes the use of multiple types and formulations of chemicals. The use of insecticides in crops is associated with environmental risks and health hazards to both producers and consumers. This study was designed to evaluate the residue of 11 insecticides that were used to control high population of the fall armyworm in maize field in Mokwa, Nigeria.

Influence of Rearing Substrates and Nontarget Hosts on the Bionomics of the Tachinid Parasitoid Nemorilla maculosa (Diptera: Tachinidae).

The tachinid Nemorilla maculosa Meigen (Diptera: Tachinidae) was introduced from Taiwan to Benin for evaluating its potential as a biocontrol candidate against the cowpea pest Maruca vitrata (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). To optimize its rearing, we assessed the influence of M. vitrata larval age and rearing substrate-cowpea germinating grains and peabush leaves-on its life table parameters, while its host specificity was investigated with regard to nontarget effects.

Farmers' perception of termites in agriculture production and their indigenous utilization in Northwest Benin.

Background: Although termites are considered as agricultural pests, they play an important role in maintaining the ecosystem. Therefore, it matters to investigate the farmers' perception of the impacts of the termites on the agriculture and their indigenous utilization.

Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 94 farmers through 10 villages of Atacora department, in the northwestern region of Benin, to obtain information for the development of successful strategies of termite management and conservation.