1 Thermal behaviour of the variegated grasshopper, Zonocerus variegatus, was investigated in the humid tropical zone of southern Benin, west Africa, in the dry seasons of 1996 and 1998. In 1998, investigations included studies of a population of grasshoppers sprayed with an oil‐based formulation of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var acridum. 2 Body temperature measurements and observations of thermal behaviour both in the field and on thermal gradients in the laboratory, suggest ...

Consecutive outbreaks of acute aflatoxicosis in Kenya in 2004 and 2005 caused > 150 deaths. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization convened a workgroup of international experts and health officials in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 2005. After discussions concerning what is known about aflatoxins, the workgroup identified gaps in current knowledge about acute and chronic human health effects of aflatoxins, surveillance and food monitoring, ...

The fate of aflatoxins and fumonisins, two mycotoxins that cooccur in maize, was studied through the traditional processing of naturally contaminated maize in mawe, makume, ogi, akassa, and owo, maize-based foods common in Benin, West Africa. Levels of total aflatoxin and fumonisin were measured at the main unit operations of processing, and the unit operations that induce significant reduction of mycotoxin level were identified. Overall reduction of mycotoxin level was more significant during the ...

This study evaluated sensory texture profile analysis (STPA) as an objective method for characterizing the texture attributes of “pounded yam,” a popular dish in West Africa made by peeling yam, boiling, pounding and kneading it into a glutinous dough. Panelists were carefully selected and trained to assess the texture attributes of pounded yam. Standard rating scales were developed from local foods that are common in Nigeria, and the foods were used as descriptors to exemplify the texture attributes ...

The global agriculture often faces new threats from invasive alien insect pests, pathogens, weeds etc requiring immediate attention and co-operative action to manage the pestilence. In this regard, the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda is a notorious pestiferous insect with high dispersal ability, wide host range and high fecundity that make it one of the most severe economic pests. The FAW has been restricted to the Americas and recently in 2016 reported from various countries in Africa, ...

Effects of five types of plant residues [Acioa, presently Dactyladenia barteri, Gliricidia sepium, and Leucaena lecocephala prunings, maize (Zea mays) stover and rice (Oryza sativa) straw] applied as mulch on soil organic matter (SOM) content and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) were studied on an Alfisol in the humid tropics. Plant residue mulch resulted in a decline in SOM and ECEC during two years of cropping following six years of grass fallow. Rice straw mulch resulted in less and ...

This study used farmers' responses to a questionnaire to investigate the practices they used against grasshoppers, locusts and other pests, the reasons for their choices, and the differences between the perception and control of grasshoppers vis-à-vis other pests. 313 farmers were interviewed in the Sahelian zones of Benin, Mali and Niger. The perceived relative and absolute gravity of pests, and the techniques used against them, varied between areas. Insect control techniques requiring cash ...

Throughout the lowland humid tropics, unpredictable periods of non-protracted drought are responsible for significant reductions in maize (Zea mays L.) yield, and losses may be disastrously large if drought coincides with the period around flowering. This study was conducted to develop and evaluate a selection procedure to improve the drought resistance of maize populations grown under limited moisture supply, particularly around flowering. Eighty-five full-sib progenies of the tropical lowland ...

Investigations were carried out in southern Benin on the annual flight cycle and the effects of weather variables on the flight activity of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) and its natural enemy, Teretriosoma nigrescens Lewis. Two seasonal peaks in flight activity of P. truncatus were observed, one between the end of December and the beginning of January and a second one between May and June. Teretriosoma nigrescens showed a single delayed peak in June, approximately six weeks after the major peak ...