NARL Spotlight - 29th Agricultural Show

NARO-NARL showcasing Push-Pull biocontrol of fall army worm at the 29th Agricultural Show in Jinja from 4th -13 August 2023.

NARL  and partner-icipe brings to farmers a new approach of managing Fall Army Worm using “PUSH-PULL” Strategy.

What is Push Pull? It is a cropping strategy to control fall army worm, stemborers and striga weed.

How is it used? Farmers use Napier grass and Desmodium legume for management of the pests in their maize gardens. Desmodium is planted between the rows of Maize. It produces a smell that stem borer  and fall army worm moths do not like. This smell “pushes” away the moths away from the Maize crop.

Desmodium  covers the surfaces of the ground and puts a chemical into the ground that stops striga weed from growing in the Maize garden.

Napier grass is planted around the Maize garden as a trap plant that attracts stem borer and fall army worm moths and it “pulls” the moths to lay eggs on it. But Napier grass does not allow larvae to develop on it. When the eggs hatch on Napier, the plant produces a sticky glue, which traps them in . Eventually they die and fall off the Napier grass so maize is saved in the “push-pull” strategy.

Come learn and build apply the climate smart push–pull strategy in your maize garden.

Attached Files