Project launched to improve marketing of pawpaw, mango, avocado and citrus fruits by managing invasive scale insect pests in Eastern Africa

A new project has been launched to help improve market access for pawpaw, mango, avocado, and citrus by managing invasive scale insect pests in Eastern Africa – particularly Kenya, Uganda and Burundi.The three-year project will seek to increase compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements for the fruits through improved surveillance and management of scale insect pests. These include false yellow scale (Pseudaulacaspis cockerelli), snout scale (Fiorinia proboscidaria) and black parlatoria scale (Parlatoria ziziphin).Small insects, specifically adult females, typically have soft bodies, sometimes no limbs, and may be concealed on the underside of plants meaning they often go unnoticed or are misdiagnosed as a disease. They attack by inserting their tiny, straw-like mouthparts into the bark, fruit, or leaves.The pests attack important crops and plants that are integral to the countries’ economies and in some cases have been known to cause devastating crop yield ...