Agriculture CS Willy Bett launching a programme to avert fall-armyworm in a Kiminini farm Trans Nzoia county [Photo/the-star.co.ke]Scientists have warned that there will be more maize damage by the fall army-worms in the coming March-April season.Dr Eliud Kireger, the director general of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) on Tuesday said this could be due to the build up of the pest on the ground as well as because the government is yet to allocate funds to carry out research on the efficacy of the chemicals used to control the pest last year.“A year has gone and the government has not allocated any funds to research on managing the pest and on the efficacy of the chemicals used to control it. We only got Sh11 million from the National Research Fund, which is a drop in the ocean. If nothing is done, we expect to have serious damage in the next season,” Kireger said as quoted by the Star.Last year, scientists from Water Efficient Maize for Africa successfully tested genetically modified maize variety that is drought tolerant and resistant to the stem borer and also showed some resistance to the fall armyworm in Kalro Kiboko and Kitale confined trial sites.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, more than 800,000ha in 25 counties were affected by the armyworm last year. The pest was reported in Trans Nzoia, Kitale, Uasin Gishu, Kericho, Nandi, Bomet, Narok, West Pokot, Baringo, Nakuru, Bungoma, Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Kwale and Central Kenya counties.Kireger said last year, more than 30 percent of the crop was damaged by the armyworm and farmers could once again suffer from more crop damage in the coming long rain season. He emphasized the need to carry out research on control measures such as biological control options.“In a more long-term approach, our institution is intensively working on host plant resistance,” he said. 

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