Abstract

The brown cocoa mirids, Sahlbergella singularis (Haglund) is the most damaging insect pest of cocoa in Nigeria. The principal means of mirid control has been, for many years, the application of synthetic insecticides on the basis of calendar spray schedule. The use of synthetic pesticides on small-scale farms in the tropics is generally not advocated because the approach lacks sustainability and raises environmental and health concerns. Most cocoa farmers simply cannot afford the cost of pesticides, despite favourable economic returns. There is therefore the need to screen for safe and effective biodegradable pesticides with non-toxic effects on non-target organisms. In the last two decades, considerable efforts have been directed towards screening of plants, (especially neem), in order to develop new botanical insecticides from the vast store of chemical substances in them as alternatives to the existing synthetics, which are associated with phytotoxicity, vertebrate toxicity, pest resistance and resurgence, wide spread environmental hazards and high costs. This review therefore looks at the prospects and utilization of botanicals for the control of major cocoa insect pests in Nigeria taking into cognizance their formulation, dosage and mode of application.

Key words: Formulation, application, dosage, sustainability, biodegradable, toxicity, hazards.