Bio-Efficacy of Diatomaceous Earth Household Soaps and Neem Oil against

摘要

The fall armyworm (FAW) is an important pest native to the Americas which was recently introduced to Africa, where it has become a threat to maize production, a major food and cash crop. It is usually managed by chemical control. However, due to the drawbacks of large scale and indiscriminate use of synthetic chemical pesticides on human health and the environment, it is important to develop safer alternative methods. In a series of laboratory and field experiments conducted in Benin, West Africa, we evaluated the efficacy of several biorational products (soaps, detergents, diatomaceous earth, neem oil), and a semi-synthetic insecticide (emamectin benzoate) against fall armyworm larvae. Overall, the biorational insecticides provided similar and, in some cases, better control than the semi-synthetic insecticide used as positive control. The results suggest that the biorational insecticides tested in this study are cost-effective and may constitute viable control options for the fall armyworm.