Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T23:27:11.440Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Farmers' perceptions of importance, control practices and alternative hosts of maize stemborers in Uganda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

T. Kalule ,
Z.R. Khan ,
G. Bigirwa ,
J. Alupo ,
S. Okanya ,
J.A. Pickett  and
L.J. Wadhams
T. Kalule
Affiliation:
Namulonge Agricultural and Animal Production Research Institute, PO Box 7084, Kampala, Uganda
Z.R. Khan*
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
G. Bigirwa
Affiliation:
Namulonge Agricultural and Animal Production Research Institute, PO Box 7084, Kampala, Uganda
J. Alupo
Affiliation:
Namulonge Agricultural and Animal Production Research Institute, PO Box 7084, Kampala, Uganda
S. Okanya
Affiliation:
Namulonge Agricultural and Animal Production Research Institute, PO Box 7084, Kampala, Uganda
J.A. Pickett
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK
L.J. Wadhams
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK
*
*Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

A survey was conducted in Tororo, Bugiri and Kapchorwa districts in eastern and northeastern Uganda on farmers' perceptions of constraints in maize production. Farmers in Tororo and Bugiri consistently ranked stemborers and striga as the major production constraints in maize growing, while those in Kapchorwa ranked stemborers and lack of capital as the most important. Approximately 35 and 40% of the farmers in Tororo and Bugiri, respectively, identified stemborers as the ‘caterpillar’ that destroys their maize. In Kapchorwa, 50% of the farmers identified stemborers. Pesticide application was the most common control measure while the use of indigenous and cultural control measures was limited. Less than 50% of the farmers were aware of the existence of alternative plants/grasses on which stemborers feed. This study identified the need for creating farmers' awareness on the biology and ecology of stemborers. Empowering farmers by letting them learn and experiment will facilitate the development of innovative control measures.

Keywords

indigenous knowledgemaizealternative hostsstemborer controlUganda
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , June 2006 , pp. 71 - 77
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altieri, M. A. (1984) Pest management technologies for peasants: A farming systems approach. Crop Protection 3, 87–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amoako-Atta, B., Omolo, E. O. and Kidega, E. K. (1983) Influence of maize, cowpea and sorghum intercropping systems on stem-/pod borer infestations. Insect Science and Its Application 4, 47–57.Google Scholar
Atteh, O. D. (1984) Nigerian farmers' perception of pests and pesticides. Insect Science and Its Application 5, 213–220.Google Scholar
Girling, D. J. (1978) The distribution and biology of Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and its relationship to other stemborers in Uganda. Bulletin of Entomological Research 69, 471–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingram, W. R. (1958) The lepidopteran stalk-borers associated with Graminae in Uganda. Bulletin of Entomological Research 49, 367–383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalule, T., Ogenga-Latigo, M. W., Okoth, V. A. O. (1997) Seasonal fluctuations and damage of lepidopteran stemborers of maize in a major agroecozone of Uganda. African Crop Science Journal 5, 385–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalule, T., Ogenga-Latigo, M. W., Okoth, V. A. O. (1998) Efficacy of different insecticides for the management of stemborers of maize in Uganda. African Crop Science Journal 6, 103–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kfir, R., Overholt, W. A., Khan, Z. R. and Polaszek, A. (2002) Biology and management of economically important lepidopteran cereal stemborers in Africa. Annual Review of Entomology 47, 701–731.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khan, Z. R., Pickett, J. P., Van den Berg, J., Wadhams, L. J. and Woodcock, C. M. (2000) Exploiting chemical ecology and species diversity: Stemborer and striga control for maize and sorghum in Africa. Pest Management Science 56, 957–962.3.0.CO;2-T>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwanze, K. F. (1997) Integrated management of stemborers of sorghum and pearl millet. Insect Science and Its Application 17, 1–8.Google Scholar
Nye, I. W. B. (1960) The Insect Pests of Graminaceous Crops in East Africa Colonial Research Study 31. HMSO, London48Google Scholar
Oloo, G. W. and Ogeda, K. (1990) The incidence of Chilo partellus (Swinh.) (Pyralidae) and the contribution of natural enemies to its mortality under intercropping systems in Kenya. Insect Science and Its Application 10, 243–251.Google Scholar
Pats, P., Ekbom, B. and Skovgard, H. (1997) Influence of intercropping on the abundance, distribution and parasitism of Chilo spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs. Bulletin of Entomological Research 87, 507–513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skovgard, H. and Pats, P. (1996) Effects of intercropping on maize stemborers and their natural enemies. Bulletin of Entomological Research 86, 599–607.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smit, N. E. J. M. and Matengo, L. O. (1995) Farmers' cultural practices and their effects on pest control in sweetpotato in South Nyanza, Kenya. International Journal of Pest Management 41, 2–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SPSS (2001) Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows, release 11.0.1.1. SPSS Inc., Chicago.Google Scholar
Starks, K. J. (1969) Some Cereal Crop Insects in East Africa. East African Agriculture and Forestry Research Organisation Serere Research Station, Serere (Mimeo), Uganda.Google Scholar
Van den Berg, J., Nur, A. F. and Polaszek, A. (1998) Cultural control319–333. In African Cereal Stemborers: Economic Importance, Taxonomy, Natural Enemies and Control (Edited by Polaszek, A.) International Institute of Entomology, CABI, Wallingford, Oxon.Google Scholar
Wossink, G. A. A., de Buck, A. J., van Niejenhuis, J. H., Haverkamp, H. C. M. (1997) Farmer perception of weed control techniques in sugarbeet. Agricultural Systems 55, 409–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar