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Foreword

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In the sub-Saharan countries of Africa, food shortages continue to grow. The main causes are population growth and the ruthless exploitation of natural resources. Maize and cassava are among the most important staple foods of poorer sections of the population. However, stores of maize and dried cassava are now being attacked by a new stored-food pest, the Larger Grain Borer, which was accidentally introduced into Africa in the late 70ies. Farmers whose crops have been infested report maize and cassava chip losses of 30 percent and more after a storage period of six months.

The economic consequences of this are devastating as post-harvest losses at the same time mean a loss of the inputs of seed, soil tillage and harvesting etc.. A better understanding of the biology of the pest and unproved stored-food protection measures based on that understanding could reduce these losses, and thus make a contribution toward food security and poverty alleviation. The reduction of post-harvest losses is technically easier to realize and of lower environmental risk than a higher intensity of production.

The "Integrated Control of the Larger Grain Borer and Associated insect Pests in Farmers'Stores" project, financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), promotes inter alia the publication of the results of applied research into integrated stored-food protection. This is designed to help disseminate awareness of the research conducted, with a view to preventing duplication, and providing suggestions for extension work and for further investigation

The booklet is published in English and French and is the summary of an extensive dissertation The research work was carried out on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH and the Humboldt-University, Berlin in cooperation with the Direction du Service Protection des Végétaux of Togo.

The information and investigations presented in the following are the necessary conditions for the use of the predatory beetle Teretriosoma nigrescens, a natural antagonist of the Larger Grain Borer. We hope that these results further the spread of the integrated stored-food protection.

Albert Bell
Project Coordinator


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