Insect pest infestations and damage can limit the production of vegetables in the farming systems in Nigeria. This review looks at integrated insect pest management as a possible panacea for resolving insect pest issues in vegetable crops. The main vegetable crops which include okra, tomatoes, chilli peppers, cucumbers, green amaranth, carrots and onions are highlighted. The major insect pests of the various vegetables which include foliage beetles, caterpillars, aphids, fruit flies, stink bugs, and grasshoppers are also mentioned. The various control measures that have been empirically verified for the mitigation of the impact of these insect pests, including the application of synthetic insecticides, modification of agronomic practices, use of resistant varieties, application of botanicals, biological and mechanical controls, are discussed. Studies which have been carried out attempting to integrate two or more of the control strategies for better insect pest control are also reviewed. Strategies that can be put in place for the integrated pest management of vegetable insect pests in Nigeria are considered. Among the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices instituted for the mitigation of pest infestations on vegetable crops in Nigeria, intercropping of suitable vegetables in combination with the application of aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica and Piper guineense seeds under good farm hygiene and sanitation proved to be most successful.

The Significant Role of Horticulture In Environmental Aesthetics and Management

A completely randomized design with three replicates was conducted at the Screen house of the Department of Crop Soil and Pest Management, Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State, to examine the phytoremediation potential of Codiaeum variegatum and Basella alba on contaminated soils from four locations. Soils were collected from the Mechanic workshop, Dumpsite, Forest Topsoils, and Effluent site, and filled into the buckets. Initial soil analysis was conducted on all the soils to determine heavy metal concentration (Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn). At 12 weeks after planting, soil and plant (root and shoot) samples were analyzed to determine the heavy metals accumulated. WHO permissible limit value for heavy metal concentration in soil and plant were used as a standard to evaluate plant phytoremediation potential. Results from the study confirm the phytoremediation potential of C. variegatum and its high tolerance for the accumulation of heavy metals. B. alba plant also shows its potential in removing heavy metals from the soil, but it was not as tolerant as C. variegatum as B. alba planted in soils from mechanic workshop and effluent site had stunted growth.