A pheromone-al success in armyworm forecasting
4 November 2010

Community forecasting of armyworm outbreaks has been moving up the political agenda since the Kenya Agriculture Minister, Hon Dr Sally Kosgei, backed this approach at the Winning the War Against Armyworm conference held in Nairobi in May 2010.

Now indications for funds and targets have followed the minister's promises.

Meanwhile the Kenya Pest Control Product Board (PCPB), CABI and the Ministry of Agriculture have developed simplified registration procedures for introduction of straight chain lepidopteran pheromones (SCLP).

What are straight chain lepidopteran pheromones (SCLPs)? A pheromone is a compound produced by a species which, alone or in combination with other compounds produced by that species, modifies the behaviour of other individuals of the same species. Straight Chain Lepidopteran Pheromones (SCLPs) are those produced by a member of the order Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies and moths - including armyworm. SCLPs are lepidopteran pheromones that are naturally occurring compounds, or identical or substantially similar synthetic compounds, designated by an unbranched aliphatic chain (between 9 and 18 carbons) ending in an alcohol, aldehyde or acetate functional group and containing up to 3 double bonds in the aliphatic backbone. Reference

Efficacy, toxicology studies and environmental sensitivity trials will no longer be required. A dossier describing the potential uses and users of the pheromone will suffice. This means that registration of these pheromones effectively becomes free.

Specifications for the dossier have already been agreed upon by the RIU-supported armyworm team and the PCPB.

Additionally, procedures for registration of other semio-chemicals (which includes pheromones, allomones, kairomones, attractants and repellents) have also been developed by the team and PCPB.

The procedure for the Ministry of Agriculture to proceed to gazetting this category of products will be agreed upon in a stakeholders' meeting.

It seems that the governments of both Tanzania and Ethiopia also support this approach.

Richard Musebe of the RIU-backed Community-Based Armyworm Forecasting initiative said:

"We understand that community-based armyworm forecasting will be one of the Permanent Secretary's performance indicators. This means that he will have a budget allocation. We need to look at how we tie this in with the control department (Plant Protection Services Department) to ensure we fully capitalise on this goodwill.

Locking in policy changes and mobilising resources takes time - but it is essential for a programme like community armyworm forecasting that we work hand-in-glove with the Ministry of Agriculture."

Ian Maudlin, Director of RIU, added:

"It is great to see how the Community-Based Armyworm Forecasting team has made progress. They have built strong backing in government and brokered effective professional relationships with the key civil servants and agencies.

What they have done is important for the armyworm pheromone traps - but will have significant ramifications for other pheromone products which follow.

This commitment by the Kenya government to reduce times to get research outputs into the field where they can make a positive difference to food security is hugely commendable and really is a win-win."