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A nematode gel to protect crops in Africa and Asia - EurekAlert


The fall armyworm is a destructive corn pest, which recently arrived in Africa and Asia from the Americas and began causing major yield losses and increased use of insecticides, which pose environmental and human health risks. In field trials in Rwanda, a nematode gel system outperformed a commercial liquid nematode formulation and the insecticide cypermethrin. When applied to the whorl of the corn plant 3–4 times throughout the season, the nematode gel decreased caterpillar infestation by about 50% and yielded an additional ton of maize (corn) per hectare. 

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