Management Package Research Articles

Insecticide Resistance in Aedes aegypti from the National Capital Region of the Philippines.

Human arboviral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika can be transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The insecticide-based vector control strategy is critical in reducing transmission of these Aedes-borne diseases but is threatened mainly by the emergence of insecticide resistance. Adult Ae. aegypti from the National Capital Region (NCR), Philippines, were subjected to bioassays to determine their susceptibility to diagnostic doses of pyrethroid, organochlorine, and organophosphate insecticides following the standard World Health Organization insecticide susceptibility test. This study reports the detection of insecticide resistance to pyrethroids and organochlorine in Ae. aegypti from the Philippines for the first time. Most of the Ae. aegypti populations from NCR exhibited phenotypic resistance to permethrin, etofenprox, and DDT. Varying resistance levels to deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin were observed in the different mosquito populations, while all populations tested to malathion were susceptible to this organophosphate. This finding should alert public health authorities to consider modifying the existing vector management package for greater control efficacy. Best practices proven to prevent or delay the development of insecticide resistance, such as insecticide rotation, should also be implemented, while alternative chemicals with a different mode of action should be explored to ensure the continuing efficacy of program interventions.

Enhancing Mobile App Performance with Dependency Management and Swift Package Manager (SPM)

Enhancing Mobile App Performance with Dependency Management and Swift Package Manager (SPM)

Weight Management Package Based on Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior, and Barriers of Obese Youth in China

This study explored the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and barriers of obese adolescents in Erqi District, Zhengzhou City, China, in terms of weight loss management. The study adopted a cross-sectional design, collected data through a questionnaire survey, and used statistical analysis methods to explore the relationship between these factors and their association with socio-demographic characteristics. The study found that participants generally had misconceptions about health knowledge, had a negative attitude towards weight, rarely adopted weight-loss behaviors, and faced some barriers to health management. The study revealed a negative correlation between health knowledge and attitudes, a finding that challenges traditional ideas and suggests that simply increasing health knowledge may not be sufficient to change attitudes and behaviors. In addition, the study found that economic factors had a small effect on health-related dimensions, while BMI had a significant effect on knowledge and behavior dimensions. These findings highlight the need to consider the interaction of multiple factors when designing interventions for adolescent obesity, and to fully consider the local socio-cultural context. The results of the study provide a new perspective on understanding the problem of adolescent obesity in China, and also raise questions about current health education and intervention strategies. Future research can further explore the underlying reasons behind these findings, providing a scientific basis for the development of more effective strategies for the prevention and management of adolescent obesity.

Factors Affecting ERP System Implementation Among Selected Organizations: A Proposed Operational Strategies

The successful implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems relies heavily on the interplay between management-specific factors and operational-specific factors. This study investigates these critical success factors, focusing on their impact on organizational performance. Management-specific factors, including top management support, package selection, and organizational fit, provide strategic direction and resources, ensuring alignment with operational goals. The research employed a quantitative approach to gather data from employees of selected organizations that have implemented ERP systems. The survey targeted employees from selected organizations who use ERP systems. The responses were analyzed using statistical techniques such as frequency analysis, mean, standard deviation, Spearman’s rank correlation, and multiple regression to identify the relationships and impacts of various CSFs on ERP implementation success. The study reveals that effective project management significantly enhances package selection, while comprehensive training improves organizational fit. Communication emerges as a pivotal element, influencing all aspects of ERP implementation. These findings underscore the necessity for a balanced approach that integrates both management and operational strategies to achieve optimal ERP outcomes and organizational efficiency.

Pre-referral management of preeclampsia with severity features in a low-income country—characteristics and challenges in a Sub-Saharan setting: a mixed method study

Background: Preeclampsia continues to be a major cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity, globally. Although pre-referral treatment constitutes a bigger part of the management package for preeclampsia with severity features in low-income settings, little is known regarding the characteristics and challenges of preeclampsia pre-referral and referral management in the Sub-Saharan setting. ObjectiveTo determine the characteristics and challenges of pre-referral and referral management of preeclampsia with severity features Study design: We conducted a mixed method study on the pre-referral management of pregnant women who complicated by preeclampsia with severity features in Ethiopia. We prospectively collected data on clinical characteristics, management outcomes, and pre-referral characteristics of pregnant women who complicated by preeclampsia with severity features. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. For the qualitative part of our study, we conducted 20-30 minutes, semi-structured, qualitative face-face in depth-interview with 14 health professionals. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and simple descriptive statistics was employed. We used thematic analysis on Open Code 4.03 software to analyze the qualitative data. - ResultsA total of 261 pregnant women who had preeclampsia with severity features were included in the study and 14 care providers were interviewed on existing challenges with pre-referral management for patients with preeclampsia with severity features. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 154.3mmHg and 100.3mmHg, respectively. The total perinatal mortality was 6.5% (17/261). Three mothers (1.1%) complicated by intra-cranial hemorrhage and other three (1.1%) other women developed pulmonary edema. Out of 261 patients, only 41 patients (15.7%) received magnesium sulphate. Similarly, antihypertensive was given only to 35 patients constituting 13.4%. Eight mothers convulsed (3.1%) during referral. Two mothers (0.8%) developed pulmonary edema when they arrived at recipient health institutions after referral. Likewise, another two (0.8%) women developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) by the time of arrival from referring health institution. Up on qualitative data analysis, three overarching themes were recognized: (i) challenges related Patient and family resistance, (ii) Challenges related to healthcare providers’ knowledge, skill and confidence, and (iii) health system related challenges. Low utilization of magnesium sulphate and ant-hypertensive drugs, patient misperceptions regarding reasons for referral, providers lack of knowledge on the pre-referral management, inadequate communication between referring and recipient health institution, and non-existence of uniform pre-eclampsia pre-referral and referral management protocols among the referring institutions were the identified gaps. ConclusionWe found a significant gap in pre-referral management for patients with preeclampsia with severity features. Preeclampsia management policy reforms should include introduction of adequate patients counselling platforms, increasing community awareness creation, providing in-service training on pre-referral management of preeclampsia for health personnel, ensuring constant availability of anti-convulsant and antihypertensive drugs and uniform implementation of preeclampsia pre-referral management protocols across health institutions.

Efficiency of Factor Productivity and Effect of Individual Input of Production on Growth, Yield and Economics of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] Production

Background: In the face of limited resources and changing climatic conditions, a major challenge for agriculturists is to ensure food security while addressing the issue of an ever-growing population. In India, the average productivity of soybean is low as compared to world average due to lack of improved agronomic practices, less importance and mostly grown under rain-fed condition. To bridge this gap, factors of production determining the per-unit production plays a crucial role in crop production. Therefore, in order to identify/evaluate the partial factor productivity and their contribution for better crop growth and individual input use efficiency study was undertaken. Methods: The field experiments were conducted during Kharif 2020, 2021 and 2022 in Randomized Block Design with seven crop management practices. To know the efficiency of individual crop management practices on growth, yield parameters, yield, economics and output efficiency in terms of partial factor productivity and agronomy efficiency of applied nutrients. Result: Three-year results concluded that, soybean grown with full package recorded significantly higher seed yield (2277 kg ha-1) over full package excluding weed management (1889 kg ha-1) and full package excluding RDF (2023 kg ha-1). The yield gap was higher with omission of weed management (388 kg ha-1) and omission of RDF (254 kg ha-1). Further, net returns and crop out-put efficiency in terms of partial factor productivity and agronomic efficiency was higher with full package over the omission of the practice. Thus it can be concluded that, for achieving higher productivity, profitability and agronomic efficiency of applied nutrients under full package comprising all crop management practices can be adopted over the years in Northern Transition Zone of Karnataka.

The impacts of task shifting on the management and treatment of malnourished children in Northern Kenya: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Treating children with acute malnutrition can be challenging, particularly regarding access to healthcare facilities during treatment. Task shifting, a strategy of transferring specific tasks to health workers with shorter training and fewer qualifications, is being considered as an effective approach to enhancing health outcomes in primary healthcare. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of integrating the treatment of acute malnutrition by community health volunteers into integrated community case management in two sub-counties in northern Kenya (Loima and Isiolo). We conducted a two-arm non-inferiority cluster-randomized controlled trial across 20 community health units. Participants were children aged 6-59 months with uncomplicated acute malnutrition. In the intervention group, community health volunteers used simplified tools and protocols to identify and treat eligible children at home and provided the usual integrated community case management package. In the control group, community health volunteers provided the usual integrated community case management package only (screening and referral of the malnourished children to the health facilities). The primary outcome was recovery (MUAC ≥12.5 cm for 2 consecutive weeks). Results show that children in the intervention group were more likely to recover than those in the control group [73 vs 50; risk difference (RD) = 26% (95% CI 12 to 40) and risk ratio (RR) = 2 (95% CI 1.2 to 1.9)]. The probability of defaulting was lower in the intervention group than in the control group: RD = -21% (95% CI -31 to -10) and RR = 0.3 (95% CI 0.2 to 0.5). The intervention reduced the length of stay by about 13 days, although this was not statistically significant and varied substantially by sub-county. Integrating the treatment of acute malnutrition by community health volunteers into the integrated community case management programme led to better malnutrition treatment outcomes. There is a need to integrate acute malnutrition treatment into integrated community case management and review policies to allow community health volunteers to treat uncomplicated acute malnutrition.

The Effectiveness of Integrated Management Packages in Controlling Aphid-Borne Virus Infections on Groundnut in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Effectiveness of Integrated Management Packages in Controlling Aphid-Borne Virus Infections on Groundnut in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abundance and Seasonal Migration Patterns of Green Lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) across the Bohai Strait in Eastern Asia.

Many insects, including green lacewings, migrate seasonally to exploit suitable breeding and winter habitats. Green lacewings are important natural enemies of insect pests worldwide. Here, four dominant green lacewing species, Chrysoperla nipponensis (Okamoto), Chrysopa pallens (Rambur), Chrysoperla furcifera (Okamoto), and Chrysopa formosa Brauer, were investigated for their ability to migrate between northern and northeastern China across the Bohai Strait from late May to late October each year. Furthermore, there were significant interannual and seasonal differences in the number of migratory green lacewings collected. The number of green lacewings in spring was significantly lower than that in summer and autumn, and the highest average number of green lacewings occurred in June. In addition, there were differences in the sex ratio of migrating green lacewings between months, with a greater proportion of females than males. Finally, the seasonal migration trajectories simulated by the HYSPLIT model revealed that the green lacewings captured on Beihuang Island primarily originated from Shandong Province. Accordingly, these findings contribute to our understanding of green lacewing migration in eastern Asia and aid its incorporation within integrated pest management (IPM) packages for several crop pests. Furthermore, long-term tracking of migrant insect populations can reveal ecosystem services and trophic dynamic processes at the macroscale.

Alternative Agronomic Management Practices Through Fertilizer, Irrigation, and Plant Density Adjustments for Hybrid Fodder Sorghum (<em>Sorghum bicolor</em> L. Moench)

Purpose: The basal fertilizer recommendation for growing hybrid fodder sorghum varieties in uplands involves relatively high quantities of Urea, TSP, and MOP, with rates of 100:90:65 kg/ha for SX-17 and 150:62:37 kg/ha for Dairy green. For both initial and ratoon crops, it is recommended to apply 150 kg/ha of urea as a top dressing. This study investigated the impact of reducing the fertilizer application rate to 75% and employing alternative agronomic practices on hybrid fodder sorghum varieties grown in lowland fallow paddy fields in the dry zone during the Yala and third seasons.Research Method: The agronomic management practices, including four basal fertilizer rates (Urea:TSP: MOP) of 100:90:65 (BD1), 150:62:37 (BD2), 75:68:49 (BD3), and 113:47:28 (BD4); two top-dressing urea fertilizer rates of 150 (TD1) and 112.5 kg/ha (TD2); two plant spacing configurations of 45x30 (WS) and 45x15 cm (NS); and two irrigation interval regimes, 5 days up to 30 days followed by 8 days (SI) and 7 days up to 30 days followed by 10 days (LI) were investigated. These factors were combined into four agronomic management packages: AMP1 (BD1, TD1, WS, SI), AMP2 (BD2, TD1, NS, SI), AMP3 (BD3, TD2, WS, LI), and AMP4 (BD4, TD2, NS, LI). The study used a split-plot design with three replicates and assessed various parameters, including plant height, stem diameter, plant weight, leaf area index (LAI), number of tillers, and fodder yield in both the initial fodder sorghum crop and the first ratoon crop. The crops were harvested when 50% of the panicles on the plants were at the milk and dough grain stages.Findings: The initial crop exhibited significantly heavier plants having wider stems when grown with higher fertilizer rates, wider plant spacing, and shorter irrigation intervals in AMP1. Irrespective of fertilizer rate and irrigation interval, the initial crops tended to have higher LAI with narrow plant spacing in AMP2 and AMP4. In the ratoon crops, wider plant spacing in AMP1 and AMP3 resulted in clumps with a greater number of tillers and heavier plants. However, the ratoon crops also exhibited higher LAI with narrow plant spacing in AMP2 and AMP4. Total fodder dry matter yield (DMY) in AMP2 and AMP4 with narrow plant spacing was significantly greater for both varieties. Furthermore, the DMY was not affected by fertilizer rate and irrigation interval.Value: Hybrid fodder sorghum varieties (SX-17 and Dairygreen) cultivated at higher plant density, along with reduced fertilizer (75%) and irrigation, can produce comparable fodder yield (21.1 and 26.1 MT/ha, respectively) to those grown at lower plant density with more fertilizer and irrigation (24.6 and 28.1 MT/ha, respectively) in lowland paddy fields during Yala and third seasons in the dry zone.

Demonstration of integrated pest and disease management package and its economic impact in rice

Demonstration of integrated pest and disease management package and its economic impact in rice

Pest Status, Damage and Biology of an Invasive Pink Pineapple Mealybug, Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockrell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on Sweet flag (Acorus calamus Linn.): First Report in India

Acorus calamus Linn is a medicinal plant that also has pesticidal properties, primarily against storage pests of agricultural commodities. The creeping rhizomes are the economic part of the plant and are in high demand in Ayurvedic medicine preparation. So far, the pest attacks have not posed a major issue in terms of the economic yield of the plant. In 2022, the presence of an invasive pest, Dysmicoccus brevipes Cockerell, was recorded in the rhizosphere of sweet flag plants maintained at the Pepper Research Station campus, Panniyur, Kannur, Kerala, India. The polyphagous pest has expanded its host range on A. calamus. The pest attack was recorded from February 2022 onwards, which was the world's first report. Its biology was evaluated in the laboratory, and it was found that the pest is a parthenogenetic race with an average life cycle of 59±2.26 days and a fecundity range of 30-74 offspring per adult. Future research should focus on bio-intensive sustainable management packages to protect the IUCN-red list categorized sweet flag from extinction.

Management of Fusarium Wilt of Tomato (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici) and Related Soil-borne Diseases using Eco-friendly Methods: A Review

Tomato is rich in vitamins, minerals and contains anti-oxidant compounds, like vitamin C and lycopene that has significant role in human health as it has anti-cancer properties. Tomato production is significantly affected by several factors amongst which Fusarium Wilt is one of the major and widespread fungal soil borne diseases in Nigeria. Difficulty in controlling this disease is attributable to long survivability of the pathogen and its existence in diverse pathogenic races. Conventional strategies, such as the use of resistant cultivars and synthetic fungicides, are not completely effective in managing tomato wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and because of unintended effects of chemicals on the environments its application is highly cautioned. This paper has examined many non-pesticide approaches such as application of bio-control agents, use of suppressive soils, composts/vermicomposts and their extracts, animal manure and urine, soil solarization, botanical extracts, good agricultural practices and integrated disease management strategy to control Fusarium wilt and other related soil borne diseases. It is worth noting that no single method can effectively control such diseases. In order to achieve a sustainable and eco-friendly disease management strategy the use of integrated approach is highly recommended. This review will provide farmers with diverse methods to be integrated as management package for Fusarium wilt and related diseases.

Elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem in Malawi.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes, causing severe pain, disfiguring, and disabling clinical conditions such as lymphoedema and hydrocoele. LF is a global public health problem affecting 72 countries, primarily in Africa and Asia. Since 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) has led the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) to support all endemic regions. This paper focuses on the achievements of the Malawi LF Elimination Programme between 2000 and 2020 to eliminate LF as a public health problem, making it the second sub-Saharan country to receive validation from the WHO. The Malawi LF Programme addressed the widespread prevalence of LF infection and disease across the country, using the recommended WHO GPELF strategies and operational research initiatives in collaboration with key national and international partners. First, to stop the spread of infection (i.e., interrupt transmission) and reduce the circulating filarial antigen prevalence from as high as 74.4% to below the critical threshold of 1-2% prevalence, mass drug administration (MDA) using a two-drug regime was implemented at high coverage rates (>65%) of the total population, with supplementary interventions from other programmes (e.g., malaria vector control). The decline in prevalence was monitored and confirmed over time using several impact assessment and post-treatment surveillance tools including the standard sentinel site, spot check, and transmission assessment surveys and alternative integrated, hotspot, and easy-access group surveys. Second, to alleviate suffering of the affected populations (i.e., control morbidity) the morbidity management and disability prevention (MMDP) package of care was implemented. Specifically, clinical case estimates were obtained via house-to-house patient searching activities; health personnel and patients were trained in self-care protocols for lymphoedema and/or referrals to hospitals for hydrocoele surgery; and the readiness and quality of treatment and services were assessed with new survey tools. Malawi's elimination of LF will ensure that future generations are not infected and suffer from the disfiguring and disabling disease. However, it will be critical that the Malawi LF Elimination programme remains vigilant, focussing on post-elimination surveillance and MMDP implementation and integration into routine health systems to support long-term sustainability and ongoing success. Lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a disabling, disfiguring, and painful disease caused by a parasite that infected mosquitoes transmit to millions of people worldwide. Since 2000, the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) has supported endemic countries such as Malawi in south-eastern Africa, to eliminate the disease as a public health problem. The Malawi National LF Elimination Programme has worked tirelessly over the past two decades to implement the GPELF recommended strategies to interrupt the transmission with a two-drug regime, and to alleviate suffering in patients with lymphoedema and/or hydrocoele through morbidity management and disability prevention. Additionally, the LF Programme has collaborated with national and international stakeholders to implement a range of supplementary operational research projects to address outstanding knowledge gaps and programmatic barriers. In 2020, the World Health Organisation validated that Malawi had successfully eliminated LF as a public health problem, making it the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve this, which is remarkable given that Malawi previously had very high infection rates. The LF Programme now remains vigilant, putting its efforts towards post-elimination surveillance and the continued implementation of care for patients with chronic conditions. Malawi's elimination of LF will ensure that future generations are not affected by this devastating disease.

Cluster Based Pre Scaling Up of Improved Malt Barley Technologies: Evidence from West Shewa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Malt barley is a high-opportunity cash crop, with great room for profitable expansion, particularly when connected to growing breweries. With the intention of popularizing advanced malt barley varieties (IBON174/03 and HB-1963) on a large-scale demonstration farming approach, this activity was carried out in West Shewa Zone potential areas to increase production and productivity of malt barley technologies during 2020-2022 production seasons. West Shewa Zone was purposively selected based on agro-ecological zone as the target population for this cluster farming. From the Zone potential areas, three districts were randomly selected including Ambo, Toke kutaye and Elfeta Districts. From each district, 9 kebeles and 144 host farmers participated in this cluster based on their interest and availability of adjacent farm plots. Thus, 9 clusters were formed, and 60 ha of land was covered on improved malt barley technologies. Training was given for stakeholders for 144 farmers, 44 DAs, and 16 agricultural experts who worked in selected districts on barley production and management packages. The study found that the average yield from the IBON174/03 variety was 30qt ha-1, 29qt ha-1, and 28qtha-1 at Toke kutaye, Elfeta and Ambo districts, with an overall mean grain yield of 29qtha-1. The HB-1963 variety yielded 26 qt ha-1, 24 qt ha-1 at Toke kutaye, Elfeta and Ambo districts respectively for an overall grain yield of 25 qt ha-1. Therefore, from the researchers and farmers evaluation both demonstrated malt barley varieties were recommended for the study areas and similar agro-ecologies for further demonstration and dissemination.

Gendered barriers and opportunities for scaling integrated pest management practices along the mango value chain in Kenya

Abstract Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is an important source of food and income in Kenya, but production is hampered by the proliferation of invasive fruit flies (Bactrocera dorsalis). The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and its partners have over the past 2 decades developed and disseminated an integrated pest management (IPM) package of interventions that effectively reduce fruit fly populations, but adoption is relatively low. In response to this low adoption, the authors conducted desk- and field-based qualitative and quantitative studies to better understand the gendered barriers and opportunities for scaling IPM practices along the mango value chain in Kenya. Twenty-four gender-disaggregated focus groups, 118 farmer surveys, and 63 key informant interviews with value chain actors were conducted. The results show that lack of access to IPM inputs, market constraints, and access to training are among the key barriers to and motivations for adopting IPM strategies in Embu County, Kenya.

Data Management Package for the novel data delivery system, ServiceX, and Applications to various physics analysis workflows

Recent developments of HEP software allow novel approaches to physics analysis workflows. The novel data delivery system, ServiceX, can be very effective when accessing a fraction of large datasets at remote grid sites. ServiceX can deliver user-selected columns with filtering and run at scale. We introduce the ServiceX data management package, ServiceX DataBinder, for easy manipulations of ServiceX delivery requests and delivered data using a single configuration file. We show various practical use cases within analysis pipelines that range from a data delivery of a few columns for machine learning study to a data delivery for full-scale physics analysis.

Effect of Change of Agronomic Practices on Nutritive Value of Hybrid Fodder Sorghum Cultivated in Lowland Paddy Fields of the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of low fertilizer rate and irrigation along with increased plant density on nutritive value of hybrid fodder sorghum cultivated in lowland fallowed paddy fields in dry zone during May to September. Seeds were sown in Yala season and continued as a ratoon crop to inter-monsoonal (Third) season. Four agronomic management packages (AMP1, AMP2, AMP3 and AMP4), which differ in fertilizer application rates, plant spacing, and irrigation intervals were tested with two fodder sorghum varieties (SX-17 and Dairygreen) in a split-plot design. The initial and first ratoon crops were harvested at dough grain stage. High fertilizer rate in combination with short irrigation interval, resulted in high (P<0.05) crude protein content in the initial harvest. AMP2 and AMP4 produced equally high (P<0.05) total dry matter yield (DMY) for SX-17 (24.7 and 20.9 MT/ha, respectively) and Dairygreen (27.7 and 25.7 MT/ha, respectively) varieties. Total digestible organic matter, crude protein and metabolizable energy yields were higher under AMP2 and AMP4 compared to other two packages for both varieties. Nutritive value was high in SX-17 under AMP1 for ratoon crop. In conclusion, AMP4 with plant spacing of 45 x 15 cm, low fertilizer rate (338-47-28 kg/ha, urea-TSP-MOP) and extended irrigation interval, could be recommended for cultivation of hybrid fodder sorghum in lowland paddy fields in the dry zone during Yala season. However, for cultivating SX-17 targeting to produce fodder with high nutritive level, AMP1 with spacing of 45 x 30 cm, high fertilizer rate (400-62-37 kg/ha of urea-TSP-MOP) and frequent irrigation could be recommended.

A REVIEW ON COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES OF BRINJAL SHOOT AND FRUIT BORER

Cultivation of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) is of significant globalimportance, especially in Bangladesh, where it ranks second after potato. The production of brinjal in Bangladesh was 619000 Mt in 2021-22. However, the annual brinjal production in Bangladesh lags behind to leading brinjal-producing countries like India, China, and Japan due to various challenges encompassing environmental factors, soil conditions, insect pests, and diseases. One of the most formidable challenges is the infestation of brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB), Leucinodes orbonalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), which inflicts substantial yield losses and threatens food security. This review synthesizes existing knowledgeand innovations to provide a comprehensive understanding of management strategies to combat this notorious pest. This article states the effectiveness of various approaches, and their ecological and economic impacts, and offersinsights and recommendations for sustainable management strategies of BSFB.Integrated pest management (IPM) packages have demonstrated significant success in reducingthe infestation of brinjal shoot and fruit borer. Among the tacticsof IPM, culturalpractices such as mulching and clipping proveto be highly effective in reducing infestation levels. Neem oil and leaf extract have shown to be effective in controlling this pest.

Potential yield and gap analysis (PYGA) of wheat in Ethiopia.

Abstract Global demand for food is rising due to unparallel population growth compared to agricultural productivity. Yield is supposed to double to feed global population in 2050 but climate change is making sustainable food production difficult for the increasing population. Wheat is one of the strategic crops for food security and increasing its productivity is vital for self-sufficiency. Ethiopia is the second largest wheat producer in the sub-Saharan Africa where the national average yield is below 3 t/ha despite the increasing total production mainly due to areal expansion rather than productivity per hectare. It is imperative and timely to realise wheat potential yield and identify factors that underly the current yield gap. Farmers in southeast Ethiopia have reportedly seen potential yields rising above 10 t/ha which prompted the current study to conduct scientific assessment of the maximum potential yield in the area for better policy and intervention. The trial was designed in partially irrigated and rainfed conditions and here we report that the farmers' actual yield gap was as low as 74% as showcased specifically with the devastating epidemic of new stem rust race known as the ' Digalu race ' occurred in the region in 2014/15. This necessitated replacement of the old varieties with high yielding and disease resistant varieties Sanate and Mandoyu. As the growing condition in 2015/16 season was favourable coupled with best management practices, two high yielding varieties, Sanate and Dire, were identified with the maximum attainable yields of 8921 and 8219 kg/ha, only 3% and 10% away from the model-predicted theoretical yield, respectively. The two varieties also had minimum water limitation index indicating that they are perfect fits for the recent wheat initiative by the Government of Ethiopia to realise self-sufficiency through irrigation and maximising yield potential. Even though we recommend modern breeding programs to capitalise their efforts on realising wheat potential yield through generation of new varieties and the deployment of modern cultivars such as Sanate and Mandoyu with their full management package, we admit that this research is limited in scope to reflect the whole rainfed and irrigated production systems in Ethiopia and hence would highlight the importance of further replicated research across years and locations to capture the variability especially due to the unpredictable climate change.