Managing scale insects in fresh fruits in East Africa
The overall goal of this project is to enhance regional collaboration in managing scale insects by sharing pest reports of invasive species; improving cross-border inspection regulations and practices; sharing pest interception reports; providing training to the staff of national plant protection organization (NPPO) in Burundi, Kenya and Uganda to identify and monitor incursions; and using biological control as part of an integrated solution to produce safer produce, reduce pesticide residues and maintain trade.
Specifically, the project will target: in Kenya, the avocado mealybug, affecting trade of fresh avocadoes to China, and the papaya mealybug, affecting internal trade with loss of entire pawpaw orchards; in Uganda and Rwanda, the mango mealybug, which may cause crop failure of mango (and may spread eastwards); and across Eastern Africa, the papaya mealybug, impacting cultivation and yields of pawpaw, cassava, vegetables and others crops, as well as the citriculus mealybug impacting citrus crops.
