Old and new association of Cotesia icipe (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with alien invasive and native Spodoptera species and key stemborer species: implication for their management.

Background: Maize production in Africa is hindered by a myriad of biotic challenges, key among them being invasive and native lepidopteran stemborers. Recent invasion of the continent by fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, has further exacerbated the situation. Fortunately, Cotesia icipe was found to be very promising against S.

Early Growth Performance of In Vitro Raised Gürke Plantlets in Response to Beneficial Microorganisms under Semi-Arid Conditions.

Before in vitro propagated plants can be used for mass planting, the transition phase to in vivo conditions needs to be better controlled because too many plants are lost during acclimatization and in the field. Two experiments were set up to evaluate the effects of biological agents on the establishment of in vitro plantlets. The biological agents consisted of Trichotech, Bio-cure B, Rhizatech, a isolate and self-isolated native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF).

The Phytochemical Composition of and Its Potential for Insect Pest Management.

Due to potential health and environmental risks of synthetic pesticides, coupled with their non-selectivity and pest resistance, there has been increasing demand for safer and biodegradable alternatives for insect pest management. Botanical pesticides have emerged as a promising alternative due to their non-persistence, high selectivity, and low mammalian toxicity. Six Meliaceae plant species, , and have been subject to botanical pesticide evaluation This review focuses on , which has not been intensively studied.