Introduction
Mango (Mangifera indica) is a stony tropical fruiting the family anacardiaceae. Mangoes are native to South Asia but have been distributed worldwide especially in the tropics. Mangoes vary in shape, size, taste, skin colour and the colour of the flesh as per the different varieties.
Implemetation Details
A major challenge facing mango industry in Kenya is fruit fly and mango seed weevil infestation. The two pests are classified as quarantine pests and therefore have prevented farmers from accessing export markets which gives better returns than the local market.
It has been reported that the loss due to fruit fly infestation can be as high as 40 % in some areas while for mango weevil the loss ranges from 20-30 %. Besides the economic loss incurred by farmers as a result of these pests, farmers and consumers are also exposed to hazardous chemicals used to control them.
There is therefore need to have environmentally friendly approaches to control these pests. KALRO together with partners have over the years developed appropriate integrated pest management approaches for control of these two pests which can be disseminated to farmers. This project therefore proposes to disseminate/upscale these technologies in order to reduce the losses and increase incomes to farmers.
