Survey of the arthropod complex and monitoring and management of homopteran pests of citrus (citrus spp) and their natural enemies (original) (raw)

Citrus production in Kenya is hindered by several constraints. These include pests and diseases, inadequate disease-free planting materials, drought, low soil fertility and poor orchard management in order of decreasing importance. This study was undertaken to determine important pests of citrus and their natural enemies, to monitor the seasonal fluctuations of major homopteran pests and to evaluate the efficacy of various pesticides on homopteran pests in the farmers’ fields. To determine important pests of citrus, a survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to 63 citrus farmers drawn from three major agro-ecological zones present within Bungoma and Machakos districts. This was followed by an on-spot assessment of insect species on randomly selected citrus trees in each farm. To monitor the seasonal population fluctuations, four randomly selected farms in two locations, Upper midlands (UM) and Lower midlands (LM) zones were used. In each farm, four citrus t...

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