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Special Issue "Locust and Grasshopper Management: Environmental Impacts and New Perspectives"

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French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, CIRAD, F-34398 Montpellier, France
Interests: locusts; grasshoppers; locust control; locust biology; locust ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Long Zhang

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1. College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
2. Institute of Plant Protection, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China
Interests: insect; pheromone; semiochemicals; behavior; chemoreception; olfaction; insect pests management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

In many countries around the world, locusts and grasshoppers are a threat to agriculture and livelihoods. One of the major problems in locust management is the use of chemical pesticides, rightly criticized for their side effects on human health, environment, nontarget organisms, and biodiversity. Alternatives that are more respectful of people and the environment have emerged over the past 20 years, with entomopathogenic fungi and Protozoa being the most promising to replace chemical pesticides. A lot of research has been done in particular in Africa (LUBILOSA project), Australia and China. Biopesticides are already used in some countries and commercial formulations are available. However, the use of these alternatives remains too limited. This new Special Issue will focus on the negative impacts of chemical pesticides in locust management, the most promising alternatives, the main obstacles to their diffusion and the best ways to overcome them.

Dr. Michel Lecoq
Prof. Dr. Long Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

locust control
biopesticide
environmental impact

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Open AccessArticle

Insecticide Use against Desert Locust in the Horn of Africa 2019–2021 Reveals a Pressing Need for Change

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Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 819; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030819 - 10 Mar 2023

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Abstract

The desert locust upsurge in the Horn of Africa over 2019–2021 led to a total of 1.6 million ha being treated with broad-spectrum organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides in Ethiopia and Kenya, while insect growth regulators and the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum were applied in Somalia. Environmental monitoring was largely absent, with limited surveys conducted in Kenya and Ethiopia. Overdosing of fenitrothion of a 960 g/L formulation in Kenya led to non-target mortality, including birds and honeybees. In Ethiopia, chlorpyrifos and malathion applications coincided with a honey production decline of 78% in 2020 compared to pre-upsurge levels. The use of M. acridum on nearly 253,000 ha was a breakaway from previous campaigns, in which its successful application in Somalia against both hopper bands and swarms shows that the persistent and pervasive use of organophosphate insecticides can no longer be justified. Furthermore, future procurement of organophosphate insecticides and possibly insect growth regulators could become increasingly problematic due to measures enacted by the European Union. It is recommended that the complementary impact of M. acridum and bird predation on locusts should be considered in an integrated management approach for both swarm and hopper control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Locust and Grasshopper Management: Environmental Impacts and New Perspectives)

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Special Issue "Locust and Grasshopper Management: Environmental Impacts and New Perspectives"

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