The Unique Challenges of Responding to Desert Locust Outbreaks
The recent plague of desert locusts in Africa and the Middle East cost $1.3 billion in damage in 23 countries. A report from Pakistan describes the difficult logistical and social hurdles to adequately managing this fast-moving entomological threat.
The Promise—and Limits—of Bt Maize to Manage Fall Armyworm in Africa
As fall armyworm continues to threaten food security in Africa, the use of Bt maize offers significant potential to manage the pest. But it will be critical to manage resistance via multi-toxin crop varieties and appropriate use of refuge planting—all in forms accessible to the smallholder farmers that grow nearly all of Africa's maize.
Managing Fall Armyworm: The (Suspected) Stowaway That Won’t Go Away
A new guide in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines the key strategies for managing the invasive fall armyworm in Africa.
A Complicated Compilation of Hungry Caterpillars on Bt Maize in Africa
On smallholder farms using Bt maize in Africa, the combination of reduced field size and multiple pests presents challenges to insecticide resistance management. A new report in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management offers recommendations for best practices.