Project launched to improve marketing of pawpaw, mango, avocado and citrus fruits by managing invasive scale insect pests in Eastern Africa
Pawpaw
Burundi
Published Jun 10, 2023
Tridge summary
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.
Original content
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 losses of up to 91%.An inaugural steering committee meeting has also been held for the project, which is funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.CABI is joining partners, including KEPHIS, the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), the National Museums of ...
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