Occurrence and management of two emerging soil-dwelling pests ravaging cabbage and onions in Kenya
Cabbage and Onion production in sub-Saharan Africa face numerous pest constraints that needs to be overcome to feed the rapidly growing population. This study aimed to establish the occurrence, incidence, and severity of soil-dwelling pests of cabbage and onions, and current management practices in five Counties of Kenya.
Our findings revealed that most farmers grew hybrid vegetables on a small scale, which were highly dominated by various pest species (Delia platura, Maladeraย sp., andย Agriotesย sp. for cabbage andย Atherigona orientalisย andย Urophorus humeralisย for onion. The occurrence, incidence and severity of the various pest species on both crops varied considerably.
Over 95% of the farmers relied on synthetic insecticides, which were applied weekly or bimonthly with limited success. Our findings demonstrate that invasive and polyphagousย A. orientalisย andย D. platuraย were the most devastating pests of onion and cabbage without effective control options. Therefore, effective, sustainable, and affordable management strategies are required to control the spread of these pests to other crops in the region.
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