English

Tesfaye Edosa Tariku

doi:10.5897/ajar2017.12832

Abstract

African bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner), is a serious pest of cereals, sorghum, cotton, pepper, maize, sunflower, flax and niger. To control this insect pest, doses of insecticides have been used. The use of indiscriminate synthetic insecticides causes adverse effect like environmental pollution, human and animal health hazards, and development of pesticide resistance. To alleviate these bottleneck problems, botanicals and semiochemicals are the effective controlling methods and believed to be safe to environment and human health. For many years, many plants species having pesticidal effects have been tested against the insect pest; however, some of them are commercially not produced. And also semiochemicals are the worthy tools, especially in the insect pest monitoring, aggregation and mating disruption of the pest. The manipulation of these management options need to get attention in the development of integrated pest management strategies. To do so, compiling information regarding the research so far done in the area is important. Therefore, this paper emphasized on the review of the research has been done concerning botanicals and semiochemicals to control H. armigera. Thus, in this review paper, different botanicals that affect the insect pest through their juvenile hormone and growth regulatory activity, antifeedant action, larvicidal action, ovipositional deterrence, ovicidal and pupicidal effects have been reviewed. Additionally, semiochemicals which include pheromones, kairomones and allomones of H. armigera were included. Key words: African bollworm, botanicals, semiochemicals, bio intensive management.

Highlights

African bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is polyphagous insect pest that attacks a number of economically important crops such as cereals, sorghum, cotton, pepper, sunflower, safflower, flax and niger seed
This paper emphasized on the review of the research has been done concerning botanicals and semiochemicals to control H. armigera
In Ethiopia, estimated yield loss on chickpea ranged from 21 to 36% (Geletu and Million, 1996), on faba bean it ranged from 3.5 to 57.5% pod damage, while on field pea it ranged from 32 to 42% yield loss (Kemal and Tibebu, 1994). To control this polyphagous insect pest, growers are forced to use indiscriminate synthetic insecticides repetitively which leads to deleterious effects of pesticides on the environment, human and animal health and causes insecticide resistance development in some species

Summary

Introduction

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is polyphagous insect pest that attacks a number of economically important crops such as cereals, sorghum, cotton, pepper, sunflower, safflower, flax and niger seed. In this review paper, different botanicals that affect the insect pest through their juvenile hormone and growth regulatory activity, antifeedant action, larvicidal action, ovipositional deterrence, ovicidal and pupicidal effects have been reviewed. To control this polyphagous insect pest, growers are forced to use indiscriminate synthetic insecticides repetitively which leads to deleterious effects of pesticides on the environment, human and animal health and causes insecticide resistance development in some species.

Results

Conclusion