Lure and infect strategy for application of entomopathogenic fungus for the control of bean flower thrips in cowpea
Annual production of cowpea is declining in Kenya because of bean flower thrips infestation
Abstract
Annual production of cowpea is declining in Kenya notwithstanding an increase in planted area (yet it is an important food and cash crop), because of bean flower thrips infestation.
This article compares the efficacy and cost–benefit of spot spray and cover spray applications of an entomopathogenic fungus used in combination with a thrips attractant in field experiments, for the management of bean flower thrips (BFT), Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) on cowpea. The cost–benefit analysis indicates good profits with the spot spray than cover spray, due to the reduction in labour and the quantity of inoculum used, and these could increase over time. The authors show that spot spray application of biopesticides is a viable option for the management of BFT on cowpea for small-scale farmers.
This is an output from the ‘Implementation of Integrated Thrips and Tospovirus Management Strategies in Smallholder Vegetable Cropping Systems of Eastern Africa’ Project. It was partly funded by the UK Department for International Development, a core donor of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology.
Citation
Mfuti D.K., Niassy S., Subramanian S., du Plessis H., Ekesi S. and Maniania N.K. (2017) Lure and infect strategy for application of entomopathogenic fungus for the control of bean flower thrips in cowpea. Biological Control 107, 70–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2017.01.011