Browsing by Author "Mweke, Allan N."

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    False codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) a new threat to horticulture industry: Stakeholders’ perspectives on the status, impact and management in Kenya
    (Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, 2020-08-05) Mutyambai, Daniel M.; Mbeche, Nyang’au I.; Onamu, Emmanuel; Kasina, Muo J.; Nderitu, John H.; Mweke, Allan N.
    False codling moth (FCM) has emerged as a major constraint to the production of horticultural crops in Kenya and is currently the leading cause of interceptions of Capsicum and cut flowers exported to European Union. Use of pesticides to control this pest is not only unsustainable, uneconomical but also contributes to interceptions of export produce due to higher levels of pesticide residues in the produce. Further, due to cryptic nature of feeding by the pest, pesticides often do not result to efficient control. Growing crops under protected areas though effective is not affordable to smallholder resource poor farmers necessitating search for a holistic integrated approach to manage this pest. In order to gather baseline information about the pest and current practices being used to manage the pest, a national deliberative stakeholders’ workshop was held in August 2018 at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Katumani, Machakos bringing together farmer organizations, research scientists, agricultural extension service providers, regulators, policy makers and farmers and followup national meetings and trainings to advance the workshop deliberations. The paper presents perspectives of different stakeholders on the status and impact of FCM in horticultural crops in Kenya.
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    Farmers’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Management Practices of False Codling Moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) in Smallholder Capsicum sp. Cropping Systems in Kenya
    (Horticulturae, 2024-03-28) Onamu, Emmanuel M.; Mutyambai, Daniel M.; Nyangau, Isaac M.; Nderitu, John H.; Kasina, Muo; Kilalo, Dorah C.; Mweke, Allan N.
    False codling moth (FCM) Thaumatotibia leucotreta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is currently the main pest of phytosanitary concern in international trade, causing rejection and decline of horticultural produce from Kenya exported to the European Union (EU). Overreliance on synthetic insecticides to control this pest is ineffective and unsustainable in the long run, whereas continuous use of pesticides results in high levels of residues in the produce. To gather farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices used by smallholder farmers to manage this pest, a field survey was carried out in 10 Capsicum sp. (Solanales: Solanaceae)-producing counties in Kenya. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires administered through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions involving 108 individual farmers, 20 key informants, and 10 focus group discussions. The majority of the respondents (83.33%) were aware of the FCM infesting Capsicum sp. About three quarters of the farmers (76.85%) reported yield losses and unmarketable quality of FCM-infested Capsicum sp. Most farmers interviewed (99.07%) used insecticides as a management tool. In contrast, only 39.81% of the farmers applied integrated pest management strategies including use of biological control agents and intercropping with repellent plants to control this pest. The results show that FCM is perceived as a significant threat to the horticultural industry of Kenya. Training needs for smallholder farmers and key informants to avoid overreliance on synthetic chemical pesticides and to maintain export goals to the EU where identified