Abstract:
This review discusses various pests and diseases that affect nursery tea plants, indicate current and prospective biological control pest and disease management practices. The most common pests and diseases that infect tea plants in the nursery propagation process includes aphids, tea mosquito bugs, weevils, mites, thrips, grey (Pestalotia theae (Syn. Pestalotiopsis theae) and brown (Colletotrichum camelliae) blights, and damping off caused by Pythium sp. Current integrated pest management practices which includes various cultural practices such as, the selection of healthy and vigorously growing cuttings from mother bushes, ensuring cuttings do not touch the soil and avoiding to touch the cut wounds when handling, to prevent the spread of diseases. The application of Mancozeb is prescribed as a preventive fungicide, and Ridomil as a curative fungicide, if the diseases are already present. The use of synthetic pesticides has raised concerns about environmental pollution and human health risks, which has led to the need for environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. This review recommends and discusses the development of ecologically sustainable and bio-intensive integrated pest and disease management strategies. The emphasis is on proactive measures that redesign the nursery system to the disadvantage of pests and to the advantage of their natural enemies such as parasites, parasitoids pathogens and predators. Habitat manipulation to enhance biological control through using ecological engineering methods, are also discussed. Plants used in ecological engineering are classified into four categories, namely: attractant plants, trap plants, repellent plants and barrier/border plants. Habitat manipulation or ecological engineering is based on the fact that many plants synthesize compounds of their own that prevent attack from phytophagous insects. Therefore, habitat manipulation, in addition to use of biological control agents, should be investigated for pest management in the nursery so as to eliminate the requirement for synthetic pesticides in tea nursery cultivation. Among other benefits, this reduces the risk of environmental pollution and exposure of nursery workers to health hazards and is the initial stage in the production of organic tea. It is also suggested that further research is needed to develop effective and practical biological control agents specific to a pest or a disease, so as to be used in support of the habitat manipulation using plants.
Biography:
Dr. Evelyn Cheramgoi is a renowned Kenyan scientist specializing in entomology and agricultural sciences. She was affiliated with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) - Tea Research Institute, where she focused on reducing synthetic pesticide usage in tea agriculture. Dr. Cheramgoi has explored biological controls for pest management, investigating Trichoderma products and varietal effects on tea propagation Her work aims to make tea production more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Dr. Cheramgoi continues to contribute to agricultural research and development now at Kenay sugar Research and Training Institute.
