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The Biological Control of Cassava Mealybug in Africa
Author(s) -
Norgaard Richard B.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1242077
Subject(s) - mealybug , subsistence agriculture , biological pest control , agriculture , pest analysis , tropical agriculture , agroforestry , integrated pest management , pest control , geography , tropics , crop , natural enemies , biology , agronomy , ecology , botany
Cassava, brought from South America 300 years ago free of its pests, became a major subsistence crop in Africa. A mealybug was mistakenly introduced in the early 1970s. By the 1980s the mealybug was a major pest. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture found a parasitic wasp in South America and reared and released it in Africa. Conservatively estimated, the benefit‐cost ratio for this program is 149 to 1. This success indicates that biological control can play an important role in pest management.