By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Agricultural scientists on Wednesday urged farmers and extension agents to strictly adhere to insect resistance management (IRM) practices to preserve the effectiveness of the Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea variety, SAMPEA 20-T.
The experts gave the advice at a stewardship training and value proposition workshop held at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, organised by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and IAR under the ACIAR-funded Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea Project.
Speaking at the event, AATF PBR Cowpea Project Manager, Dr Jean Baptiste Tignegre, said farmers and extension agents were central to the success of the project, stressing that scientific innovations could only benefit farmers when properly managed at the farm level.
He said the project was designed to ensure that SAMPEA 20-T reached smallholder farmers “in a manner that is agronomically sound and responsibly managed at every level.”
Tignegre said the Maruca pod borer could destroy up to 80 per cent of an unprotected cowpea harvest, forcing farmers to apply insecticides six to 10 times per season at significant cost.
He added that farmers growing SAMPEA 20-T had reduced insecticide applications to two per season while recording yields 30 to 100 per cent higher than conventional varieties under pest pressure.
He described insect resistance management as a shared responsibility among extension agents, farmers and seed producers, urging all stakeholders to understand and fulfil their roles.
Tignegre also advised farmers participating in the National Performance Trials and on-farm trials to plant on time, follow prescribed protocols and accurately record field data to support future decisions on the programme in Nigeria.
In a technical presentation, Prof. I.M. Utono of IAR, ABU, explained that insect populations could develop resistance when naturally tougher insects survive control measures, reproduce and pass the resistant traits to their offspring.
He warned that without proper management, this could eventually undermine the protection offered by the Bt-based cowpea variety against the Maruca pod borer.
Utono recommended several IRM measures, including maintaining a refuge of non-Bt cowpea near PBR fields, regularly scouting for unusual pest damage, promptly reporting suspected resistance for expert confirmation, and following a disciplined insecticide spray schedule for pests not controlled by the Bt trait.
He recommended the first insecticide application 40 to 45 days after sowing to control thrips, followed by a second application at 50 to 55 days to manage thrips and pod-sucking bugs.
He said a third application should only be made where infestation by pod-sucking bugs was heavy.
