Pests

: 22 May 2018; Hits: 5293

Pioneering green technology could tackle Kenya pests and pathogens

flower in kenya

A new green technological initiative is being introduced in Kenya with a view to tackling pestilence and shore up horticultural productivity in the East African nation. The UK-based ADAS Horticulture recently announced what it called a pioneering technology to minimize the impact of attacks by pests and pathogens which significantly undermine Kenya’s horticultural yields and cause supply chain losses.

The innovation which ADAS said will help catapult Kenya into a leading exporter of fresh produce including flowers and vegetable heralds the first time ever UV technology is being applied on crops that were still undergoing growth.

“We worked with a Kenyan business, which grows and exports roses back to the UK. The technology comprises two strands: firstly, UV light to make crops more resistant to pest and pathogen attack and also improve product marketable quality; and secondly, UV light in post-harvest environments to remove ethylene, which is known as the silent killer and is responsible for the accelerated ageing of fresh produce” Dr Barry Mulholland, Director, ADAS Horticulture, said while explaining the technology.

According to him, removing ethylene suspends the ageing process and effectively extends to two days the shelf life of cut roses which are under constant threat of damage by pest and disease despite their durability.

Dr Mulholland said aside from incidentally removing and destroying micro-organisms present in the air it will significantly cut scheduling losses in the supply chain by 60 percent.

ADAS believes that with the proper application of this technology, perishable floral cargoes of roses, carnations and summer flowers can be saved and boost the country’s export of them.

Kenya is a net exporter of flowers and vegetables but has been undermined by the sporadic outbreak of Botrytis or grey mould, which decimates crops and adversely affects the supply chain.

Other challenges are posed by pests and pathogens, estimated to be responsible for 40 percent of cut rose yield losses worldwide.

ADAS said direct spraying of pesticides has not always proved effective with their application in fields causing increasing concerns for the environment and misgivings over the health of consumers.

Since 2015 with funding from Innovate UK, ADAS has been working with industry and collaborators in the academic world to develop new sustainable, non-contact, non-chemical technologies.

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: 17 May 2018; Hits: 7572

Early planting controls Fall Armyworm

Farmers can control Fall Armyworm by planting their crops early just at the onset of rains.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, early planting can reduce chances of Fall Armyworm infestation by half hence reduce losses to farmers.

The army fall worm which caught many farmers off-guard in 2017 has ravaged more than 750,000 acres of maize in Africa in putting hundreds of millions of people at risk of hunger.

Fall Armyworm Moth is a migratory pest native to North and South America. This pest occurs in large numbers and its caterpillars cause severe damage to more than 80 plant species especially cereal crops such as maize and rice.

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There is a risk of further spread into Europe via the Mediterranean basin and Asia through the Middle East if the pest is not controlled according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

To control this pest, farmers should plant early and adhere to regional planting calendar by avoiding late and off-season planting. Avoid planting new crop near infested plants and use recommended fertilizers. Farmers should also keep fields weed free to boost plant vigor.

Mass trapping should be done by setting up four to six FAW Pheromone traps per Ha to suppress the moth population.

FAW

The Fall Armyworm pest

The potential effective insecticides against this pest include: Diazinon, Alpha Cypermethrin, Chlorpyrfos, Diflubenzuron Triclorfon (Dipterex), Chlorantraniliprole, Spinetoram, Emamectin benzoate, Indoxacarba and Lambda Cyhalothrin.

For effective control in maize, spray at least three times starting two weeks after emergence, at knee high and just before tasseling. However these products need to be used appropriately at right environmental conditions to minimize development of pest resistance. All farmers in a given locality should spray to avoid neglected farms, which become breeding grounds for the insect and a source of re- infestation.

Farmers are discouraged from moving infested plant materials to areas where the pest has not been reported.

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: 15 May 2018; Hits: 9817

How to control East Coast Fever disease in cattle

Cattle farmers in Kenya can control East Coast Fever disease by vaccinating their animals and regularly spraying them with acaricides.

The disease occurs in countries on the eastern side of Africa such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and kills approximately 100,000 animals of all ages in Kenya according to data from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).

In cattle, the disease is very severe with 100 per cent mortality rate if not treated.

ECF is caused by a parasite adapted to the African buffalo and is transmitted from one animal to another by the brown ear ticks found attached to the ears and the tip of the tail.

An infected cow will struggle to breathe, have a nasal discharge, diarrhea and anemia.

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To control the disease, the most simple and cheap way is to practice rotational grazing on their fields to minimize the movement of ticks.

Dipping or spraying the animals at least once in a week is also another method of controlling ECF with the effectiveness of this method depending on thorough wetness of the animal.

The mode is however, less effective as ticks develop resistance overtime and the chemicals used are sometimes toxic to human beings and as such it is recommended to follow the manufacturers’ instructions.

ECF kenya

Once a cow recovers from ECF, it is farmers can vaccinate the animal as this will ensure that it develops life-long immunity to clinical re-infection.

Farmers can also remove ticks manually rom the cows and is applied when the number of cows are few and the rate of tick infestation is low.

Cattle farming in Kenya is mostly confined to the semi-arid and arid lands of the country such as Turkana, Wajir, Garissa, Moyale, Kajiado and Narok.

The sector supports more than five million people directly and indirectly.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics there are 3,355,407 exotic cattle in Kenya. Traditional cattle population stands at 14,112,367.

Last year, the number of cattle and calves slaughtered in abattoirs rose by 5.3 per cent from 2.46m in 2016 to 2.59m attributed to the increased livestock off take occasioned by drought experienced during the period under review to cushion from losses according to the 2018 economic survey released last month.

During the same period, milk delivered to processors dropped by 17.4 per cent from 648.2m liters in 2016 to 535.7m liters.

Similarly, the quantity of processed milk and cream from processing plants decreased by 8.5 per cent and that of butter and ghee declined by 22.0 per cent. Production of cheese however, increased from 311.2 tonnes in 2016 to 338.3 tonnes in 2017.

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