The Status of Research for the Management of the Banana Weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Sub-Saharan Africa
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences
Abstract
The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera:
Curculionidae] is a major pest of East African highland bananas and
plantains. Its larvae bore in corm tissue damaging the root system,
disrupting nutrient and water uptake, compromising plant anchorage,
reducing yield, and shortening plantation life. Yield losses in bananas and
plantains may exceed 50%. Available technologies for the management of
the pest include cultural control, biological control, and chemical control.
These methods may be costly, labor intensive, or ecologically unsustainable.
Such effects, together with developed pesticide resistance, have led to various
efforts searching for sustainable alternatives. To achieve this, there is a need
to understand the biology of the pest and the currently available
management options which includes use of cultural practices, resistant
banana varieties, biological and microbial control, pheromone trapping and
chemical and botanical insecticides. This article reviews the research status
concerning C. sordidus biology, distribution, management options, including
current innovations such as genome editing, and suggests future research
directions for the management of the pest. Research findings suggest that no
single control strategy will provide complete control. The integration of
appropriate conventional C. sordidus management options with genetic
engineering and other ecologically friendly methods such as use of botanicals
and infochemicals will manage the pest and sustainably increase banana
production.
Description
Keywords
Conventional breeding, Cosmopolites sordidus, Genetic engineering, Host resistance, IPM
Citation
Bakaze, E., Tinzaara, W., Gold, C., & Kubiriba, J. (2022). The Status of Research for the Management of the Banana Weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar)(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Sub-Saharan Africa. European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences , 4 (2), 39-51. DOI: 10.24018/ejfood.2022.4.2.469