Pests

: 08 May 2018; Hits: 6355

New grain storage technology to help farmers avoid Sh15bn post-harvest losses

PICS grain storage bags

Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) grains technology which will see farmers avoid over Sh15bn post-harvest losses due to inappropriate storage technologies leading to attacks by pests such as birds, insects and rodents and rotting and aflatoxin contamination due to improper handling has been introduced in the region.

The national maize post-harvest losses are estimated to be between 12 and 20 percent of the total national production. At a 5-year national average production of 40 million 90-kg bags, the loss is between 4.8 and 8 million bags annually as per December last year Post-Harvest Losses analysis by Tegemeo Institute.

PICS is expected to allow farmers to store grain for up to five years without using any preservatives such as insecticides and provides them (farmers) the flexibility to sell when prices are high, while having chemical-free high quality food for their families throughout the year, According to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Currently the average maize price across the major towns and cities in Kenya is Sh2855 while the average price in the same urban areas for finger millet and sorghum are Sh7956 and Sh4386 respectively.

This low-cost technology was developed and initially disseminated for cowpea grain, but it has more recently been found effective for all types of grain and even other products.

PICS technology is a triple layer sealed plastic bag that cuts off the oxygen supply to create hermetic conditions, thereby eliminating insect damage in storage of dry grain.

The PICS program originally involved 10 countries in West and Central Africa, but has been expanded to Eastern and Southern Africa and to South Asia. Already 370,000 PICS have been distributed to small-scale farmers across the country since 2013.

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: 08 May 2018; Hits: 8027

Applying aflasafe chemical two to three weeks ahead of maize flowering stops aflatoxin

As maize starts to flower, farmers may avert poisonous fungus contamination by applying a biological control of aflatoxins, aflasafe.

Aflasafe is sold at between Sh1,240 and Sh2,070 for every 10kg pack in certified agro-vets depending on the country. A 2.5kg pack is also available for small holder farmers.

Aflasafe, which is a research product from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), prevents aflatoxin causing fungi from accessing the maize cobs. The protection starts from the field up to the store.

In 2004 for instance 125 Kenyans died after consuming aflatoxin-infested food. In 2016, agricultural experts and the Kenya Bureau of Standards warned of presence of the deadly toxin in food such as maize flour and milk sold in supermarkets across the country.

Aflasafe ends aflatoxin agony

How to control deadly maize weed

“Earlier broadcasting of at least four kilos of aflasafe in one acre can protect the crop,” said IITA researcher Charity Mutegi.

She added that 80 to 99 per cent success has been recorded in the countries in Africa such as Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and The Gambia, among others where it has been applied two to three weeks ahead of flowering.

Application ahead of flowering ensures that friendly fungi are deposited in the farm to occupy and protect the maize cobs from formation.

Prior to broadcasting alfasafe, the plot should be weeded, fertilizer applied, and all other agricultural practices carried out in the field.

tractor weeding

Broadcast alfasafe by hand two to three weeks before flowering at the rate of 10 kg per ha (four kg per acre).

If possible, apply alfasafe after rains, or when rains are forecasted, or when the soil is moist.

Ensure that Alfasafe stays on the soil surface. For the spores to grow, they must be above the ground. Therefore, do not carry out any operation that will bury alfasafe under the soil after application. Such operations should be done in the step 1 above.

Five to 10 days after broadcasting alfasafe, visit the field and observe the color of the carrier grains. There should be a greenish growth on some or all sorghum carrier grains if soil moisture is adequate. If there is no greenish growth, return to the field after three to five days and check again.

In the protection process, the Aspergillus flavus- the poison producing fungi- are surrounded and prevented from reaching the maize cobs.

At least four friendly verities of from the same family, introduced in the Aflasafe, compete for food with the enemy, which is edged out in the process.

Aflasafe is made from sorghum. Ordinary sorghum is heated ahead of coating with four friendly that are known to drive the aflatoxin causing varieties out as a result of better adaptability.

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: 01 May 2018; Hits: 8900

Sex lure trap controls pest causing rejection of chilli in export markets

False codling moth. The moth has caused strict measures on Kenya fresh produce especially chilli and some fruits that are exported to European markets.

Chilli farmers can use a crytrack, a rubber trap which is a sex lure to control and wipe false codling moth pest which has forced the European Union (EU) market to impose tough regulations on the produce and other crops affected by the pest from Kenya.

According to Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA) last year reports, 29 fresh produce (including chilli) export interceptions affected by the moth were made by the EU market while between April 2016 and May 2017, Kenya’s exports suffered a total of 46 such interceptions.

“The False Colding Moth, which is known to attack pepper and citrus fruits, became a notifiable pest in the EU and UK markets from January last year,” said George Nchari of Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Timau branch.

Crytrack now comes handy at the rescue of the farmers. This trap contains pheromones which are attractants produced by female false codling moth when ready to mate. The pheromones attract specifically male adult moths of the moth.

RELATED ARTICLE: Sex trap tames voracious moth

The crytrack lure must be used in combination with a sticky paper incorporated in a delta-trap, according to Aaron Muteria, agronomist at Kenya Biologics Limited, a company that makes bio-insecticides, bio-fungicides, bio-stimulants and crop deficiency correctors.

“Once outside its original sealed packaging, the crytrack lure will start releasing its pheromones over a time period of at least six weeks. This will attract male false codling moth moths that will be caught on the sticky paper. This will prevent the moth from reproducing and will enable you to obtain information from the catches,” said Muteria.

“Due to the limited reach of approximately 50 meters, crytrack will not attract any additional moths to your crops than the ones already present at that time.”

The benefit of using this type of trap over others is that provides easy to obtain information that can indicate critical changes in population dynamics and behaviour of the false codling moth. This can be used to determine if and what kinds of treatments are necessary, said Nchari.

In addition, pheromones released by crytrack occur naturally all over the world. Many reviews over the years have confirmed that these products pose no risks to human health as the trap is specific to the false codling moth and no adverse effects will occur to non-target organisms, according to Muteria.

How to use the crytrap:

1. Fold the delta-trap in a triangular shape and insert the appendages into the slots.
2. Unfold the sticky paper and place it on the bottom of the delta-trap, the sticky side facing upwards.
3. Hang the trap at 2/3 of the crop-height inside the crop or just above the crop for low crops.
4. Take the CRYTRACK lure out of its sealed packaging and place it in the green container at the top of the delta-trap.
5. Replace lures and sticky paper every six to eight weeks, or earlier if the sticky paper is saturated with moths or dirt.

Crytrack lures can be used inside greenhouses as well as in the open field. It is advisable to use two traps per hectare for small holdings and in fields of uneven topography and one trap per hectare for large scale fields of homogeneous topography.

RELATED ARTICLE: Neem leaves save Nakuru farms from pests

Farmers are urged to monitor the traps at least twice a week recording the numbers of false codling moth moths every time.

Thresholds must be determined based on the type of crop, pest-allowance and density of the crop although dependent on these factors and other factors like temperature and wind, action thresholds have been determined at 5-7 moths caught per hectare per night.

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