In the sub-Saharan countries of Africa, food shortages continue to grow. The main causes are population growth and the ruthless exploitation of natural resources.
Maize and cassava are among the most important staple foods of poorer sections of the population. However, stores of maize and cassava are now being attacked by a new stored-food pest, the Larger Grain Borer, which was accidentally introduced into West Africa in the late 70ies. Farmers whose crops have been infested in some cases report maize and cassava losses of 30 percent and more after a storage period of six months.
The economic consequences of this are devastating, as post-harvest losses al the same time mean a loss of the inputs of seed, soil tillage and harvesting etc. A better understanding of the biology of the pest, and improved stored-food protection measures based on that understanding, could reduce these losses, and thus make a contribution toward food security and poverty alleviation.
The "Integrated Control of the Larger Grain Borer and Associated Insect Pests in Farmers' Stores" project, financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), promotes inter alia the publication of the results of applied research into integrated stored-food protection. This is designed to help disseminate awareness of the research conducted, with a view to preventing duplication, and providing suggestions for extension work and for further investigation.
The present publication includes studies on a natural enemy of the Larger Grain Borer, the predator Teretriosoma nigrescens. The work focuses on issues of the host-specificity of this beneficial organism, and whether or not it can itself occur as a pest in stored food crops.
We would like to thank all those involved in the successful completion of this work for their kind cooperation and dedication.
Albert Bell
Project Coordinator