The invasive fall armyworm (FAW) is threatening maize production and the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers in the newly invaded areas in Africa and Asia. To control this new key pest and to overcome health, environmental, and resistance problems related to the indiscriminate use of insecticides, effective and sustainable alternative pest control approaches are needed. Here, we report on field trials that tested maltodextrin, neem-based products, ash, and soil, as well as the locally produced alata samina soap, in the Upper West and Greater Accra regions, Ghana. Significant reductions of larval numbers and crop damage, together with increased yields, were mostly achieved by applying the insecticide emamectin benzoate, which was considered the positive control in this set of trials. However, high efficiency and cost–benefit ratios were also achieved with two neem-based products. Maltodextrin was only efficient at one of the two sites, with a clear dose-dependent effect, while the higher dosage was nearly as effective as emamectin benzoate. Due to its relatively high product cost, maltodextrin is generally less cost-efficient. Ash and soil, as well as alata samina soap treatments, did not efficiently reduce FAW larval numbers or crop damage at the dosages tested; thus, they also did not significantly increase maize yields.

The destructive nature of maize fall armyworm has triggered the importation of plenty of plant protection products onto the Ghanaian agrochemical marketplace. These imported chemicals sold at market places sometimes are unregistered for use in the Ghanaian environment. Thus, some importers do not do due diligence in testing the chemical agronomically to ascertain its mode of action and also being not harmful to beneficial insect species in the Ghanaian environment. It was in this view that three Ampligo concentrations or rates (0 ml/ha, 200 ml/ha, and 240 ml/ha) were tested against FAW on maize that were sown at a spacing of 60 cm × 60 cm. Treatments applied to maize were arranged in a randomised complete block design and replicated three times. Ampligo rates caused a very significant ( < 0.05) reduction in FAW at 21 and 28 days after maize emergence. The damage to maize leaf on treated maize plot was significantly ( < 0.05) different from that on the untreated. Thus, damage of FAW was more visible on maize leaves on control plots compared to the treated ones. A significantly ( < 0.05) positive correlation existed between damage rating and FAW number. Furthermore, the Ampligo rates correlated negatively to FAW density at = 0.014 at 21 days after emergence. Also, FAW infestation did not impact maize grain yield. The study, therefore, concluded that Ampligo pesticide falls in low-risk plant protection product category with a very potent active ingredient that reduces FAW populations. We recommend that Ampligo should be applied between 14 and 21 days after emergence; two applications at one-week interval at 200 ml/ha are sufficient to sustain maize for the whole cropping season.

Mass trapping of insects involves the use of specific traps or devices that are designed to attract and capture a large number of adult insects, thereby reducing their population in the agricultural environment. This approach aims at disrupting the breeding cycle and proliferation of the target insect to minimize crop damage and economic losses. This study evaluated the efficiency of three trap types (Ecoman, Tephri, and Bucket funnel) and period of the day (morning, afternoon, and evening) in mass trapping of live male Bactrocera dorsalis and the survival of such catch over a period. The traps were deployed on selected trees following 33 factorial experiments. All the Bactrocera dorsalis caught in the traps were males. Ecoman traps caught the highest number of B. dorsalis in the mornings and evenings while Tephri traps caught the highest B. dorsalis in the afternoons. There was no significant difference in the survival of B. dorsalis in the three trap types after 24hours. Correlation analysis showed that climatic factors played a significant role in trap catches. Bactrocera dorsalis caught in the evenings recorded higher percentage survival in all the three trap types than those caught during the morning and afternoon. The Ecoman trap was most efficient in trapping B. dorsalis. Hence, this study recommends the Ecoman trap for mass trapping live male B. dorsalis meant for further experiments such as irradiation studies.

The adoption of integrated pest management practices has been widely promoted in low-and middle-income countries to enhance farmers' economic outcomes. The main challenge is the lack of quantitative synthesis of scholarly works to ascertain whether, for farmers in these countries, those who adopt a single component or a full bundle of integrated pest management practices achieve higher yields, farm income, food security and reduced pesticide use compared to non-adopters. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) methodology. A total of 24 studies were used for the review based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was employed to combine the individual and overall effect sizes across these studies. The results indicate that there is evidence that adopting integrated pest management practices has the potential to lead to a large improvement in crop yield for farmers. The findings also reveal that such adoption causes a small effect in food security level, and a moderate to large effect in farm income for farmers. The evidence further suggests that adopting these practices does not directly lead to behavioural change among farmers in reducing synthetic pesticide use. Overall, the findings demonstrate that adopting integrated pest management practices is a promising strategy for improving farmers' economic outcomes in low-and middle-income countries. Policymakers and development partners should not only focus on IPM programmes for economic improvements for farmers, but also address behavioural barriers to ensure effective and consistent adoption for the desired environmental benefits.