Biological control of cassava pests in Africa

Discusses cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti and cassava green mite Mononychellus tanajoa, both of which - following introduction to Africa in the early 1970s - have spread at a rapid pace to threaten crops. The spread of both pest species in Africa is outlined, and the subsequent search for organisms with potential for biological control is reported. Among cassava mealybug predators, the coccinellids Diomus in Kinshasa and Malawi and Hyperaspis notata in Burundi and Kivu Province, Zaire show long-term establishment. -P.J.Jarvis