Abstract: Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) develop through three major stages in their life cycle: hatching, infection, and reproduction. Interruption of any of these stages can affect their growth and survival. We used screenhouse pot experiments, laboratory in vitro hatching and mortality assays, and chemical analysis to test the hypothesis that the non-host Asteraceae plant vegetable black-jack (Bidens pilosa) suppresses infection of the PPN Meloidogyne incognita in two susceptible Solana...
Abstract: The unfavorable soil (low supply of nutrients, high levels of toxic elements, salinity, compaction) and climatic (drought, waterlogging, high temperature, low temperature) conditions reduce plant and crop productivity (Pereira, 2016). Low fertility soils, and extreme weather events resulting from climate change, are a major threat to global food security (Evans, 2009). Plants have evolved sophisticated adaptive mechanisms to withstand the multiple abiotic stresses to which they are...
Abstract: The use of endophytic fungi has dramatically increased plant performance through the enhancement of plant protection against abiotic and biotic stressors. We previously demonstrated that the endophytic fungus Trichoderma asperellum M2RT4 improves tomato defenses against the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta through the reduction of oviposition, leafmining, pupation, and adult emergence. However, the underlying mechanism by which the presence of this endophytic fungus within tomato hos...
Abstract: It is projected that, on average, annual temperature will increase between 2 °C to 6 °C under high emission scenarios by the end of the 21st century, with serious consequences in food and nutrition security, especially within semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to investigate the impact of historical long-term climate (temperature and rainfall) variables on the yield of five major crops viz., sorghum, sesame, cotton, sunflower, and millet in Gedaref state, S...
Abstract: The invasive fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis poses a major threat to the production and trade of mango in sub-Saharan Africa. Farmers devise different innovations to manage the pest in an attempt to minimize yield loss and production costs while maximizing revenues. Using survey data obtained from Embu County, Kenya, we analyzed farmers’ knowledge and perception as regards the invasive fruit fly, their innovations for the management of the pest, and the determinants of their adopti...
Abstract: Insect pollinators provide an important ecosystem service by improving agricultural productivity. However, their populations have been declining in recent years due to excessive use of synthetic pesticides, climate and land use/land cover (LULC) changes. Climate and LULC changes have resulted in land fragmentation and consequently pollinator habitat loss. To conserve pollinators, there is a need for sustainable agricultural practices such as integrated pest and pollinator managemen...
Abstract: The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurode vaporariorum, is among the key pests of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in sub-Saharan Africa with Tuta absoluta, spider mite, thrips, and fruitworms. To understand the interaction between the pest and the plant’s herbivory-induced plant volatile (HIPVs), we investigated the repellency of four tomato cultivars (Kilele F1, Assila F1, Red Beauty F1, and Nemonneta F1) upon infestation by Trialeurode vaporariorum.We analyzed the behavioral response ...
Abstract: In general, sperm produced in the testis are moved into the seminal vesicle via the vas deferens in insects, where they are stored. How this sperm movement is controlled is less well understood in locusts or grasshoppers. In this study, the effects of age, phase variation and pheromones on male sperm storage were investigated in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål). In this locust, a pair of ducts, the vasa deferentia, connect the testes to a pair of the long, slende...
Abstract: Enset (Ensete ventricosum), is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Musaceae, along with banana and plantain. Despite wild populations occurring in eastern, central and southern Africa, it is only in Ethiopia that the crop has been domesticated, where it is culturally and agriculturally symbolic as a food security crop. Although an under-researched orphan crop, enset serves as a staple food for about 20% of the Ethiopian population, comprising more than 20 million p...
Abstract: The perception of airborne chemical signals by plants can trigger reconfigurations of their metabolism that alter their biotic interactions. While plant-to-plant chemical communication has primarily been studied in the context of eliciting defenses to herbivores and pathogens, recent work suggests that it can also affect plants’ interactions with their rhizosphere microbiomes. In this perspective, we discuss the potential for integrating the fields of plant-to-plant communication...
Abstract: The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato production. Various strategies have been developed and implemented to manage this pest. Here, we present a timely review on the up-to-date development and practical implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) programs for tomato crops across different world regions infested by T. absoluta. While insecticide resist...
Abstract: Despite their important ecological roles for soil health and soil fertility, free-living nematodes (FLN) have received relatively limited research attention. The present study evaluated the community structure and diversity of FLN in a field setting. The experiments were conducted in on-farm and on-station field plots sown to maize (Zea mays) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) under four cropping practices. These farming systems included organic (compost and biopesticide use), conventi...
Abstract: Protected savannas are essential reserves for biological diversity, including endangered arthropod species, however, extreme grazing by mammals has cascading impacts on the communities and disrupts the functioning of these ecosystems globally. The current study assessed the abundance, species richness and composition of arthropods at the long-term grazing exclosures of Kruger National Park, South Africa. Pitfall traps and active searches were used to sample arthropods at the ungraz...
Abstract: Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda J.E Smith, (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a serious invasive pest of maize that has been established in Kenya since 2016. Little is known about its co-occurrence with resident stemborers, relative infestation and damage and how agronomic factors influence its infestation and damage in maize cropping systems across different agro-ecological zones. This study assessed FAW co-occurrence with resident stemborers, relative infestation and damage a...
Abstract: Generating tree-specific crop maps within heterogeneous landscapes requires imagery of fine spatial and temporal resolutions to discriminate among the rapid transitions in tree phenological and spectral features. The availability of freely accessible satellite data of relatively high spatial and temporal resolutions offers an unprecedented opportunity for wide-area land use and land cover (LULC) mapping, including tree crop (e.g., mango; Mangifera indica L.) detection. We evaluated...