{"id":12934,"date":"2026-06-20T12:25:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/iita-develops-biopesticide-against-major-cabbage-pest-in-west-africa\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:25:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:25:52","slug":"iita-develops-biopesticide-against-major-cabbage-pest-in-west-africa","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/iita-develops-biopesticide-against-major-cabbage-pest-in-west-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"IITA develops biopesticide against major cabbage pest in West Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cabbage farms in West Africa ravaged by the Diamondback Moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella<\/em>, are set to make a strong comeback as IITA scientists in Benin Republic successfully develop and field test the use of a biopesticide based on Beauveria bassiana<\/em>, a fungus, against the pest. For years, DBM has been devastating both smallholder and commercial cabbage farms in the region, affecting farmers’ incomes and market prices of the crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Adult<\/a>
Adult (above) and juvenile (bottom) of Plutella xylostella. IITA scientists have been successful in managing the pest using a biopesticide based on B bassiana. Photos from Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom a disappointment, cabbage production now looks very promising with the use of B. bassiana<\/em>,\u201d says Raymond Ahinon, head of the Crop Department of the Songhai Center \u2014 a facility that specializes in training, production, and research-for-development of sustainable agricultural practices \u2014 in Porto Novo, Benin. \u201cWe have been using B. bassiana<\/em> on our cabbage farms for some time now, and it has effectively kept DBM under check,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabbage, and its cousin kale, are regarded as high-value cash crops. Compared to other vegetables such as carrot and lettuce, farmers say returns are higher with cabbage cultivation. Despite this, thous ands of farmers in West Africa had to ab andon cabbage production because of the destruction caused by DBM on their farms. Market prices for African cabbage have consequently jumped because of dwindling supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation is worsened by the high costs associated with synthetic pesticide – farmers’ only recourse against DBM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe most common synthetic chemical pesticides used by farmers are bifenthrin and deltamethrin,\u201d says Ignace Godonou, IITA Entomologist based in Benin. \u201cAbout 19 applications of these chemicals are needed within three months of the crop’s growth prior to harvest. But the cost of these chemicals are oftentimes prohibitive for most farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Globally, chemical control is estimated at about US$1 billion annually, not counting the costs to human health and the environment related to its use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers like Louis Aw andjinou, who has been cultivating the crop since 1986, have observed that the chemical pesticides have been less and less effective against DBM over the years. Godonou explains that this is because the pest has developed resistance to a wide range of synthetic insecticides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, farmers have been using botanical pesticides, mostly seed extracts of the neem tree, against DBM and a wide range of other arthropod pests, but the success of this approach has been limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Godonou says that when used in an integrated pest management approach, B. bassiana<\/em> offers a cost-effective solution for the sustainable control of DBM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study by Godonou et al published in the Crop Protection Journal in 2008 indicated that B. bassiana<\/em> grows naturally in soils throughout the world, generally specific to target pests, persists in the environment, ecologically-friendly and easy to mass produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the ability to remain active on the field for several months after initial application, B. bassiana<\/em> will end the rigor of repetitions and high costs and risks associated with the use of chemical pesticides,\u201d Godonou adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A co-author of the study, C. Atcha-Ahowe, also an IITA scientist, says field trials of B. bassiana<\/em> have sparked high dem and for it. \u201cMany of the farmers who ab andoned cabbage cultivation because of DBM but who want to go back are requesting for B. bassiana<\/em> , but the problem is the availability of the product,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Green Muscle\u00ae which was picked up by the private sector, Godonou is hopeful that B. bassiana<\/em> would go the same route and be adopted by vegetable farmers across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Ignace Godonou, i.godonou@cgiar.org<\/a>
Entomologist
IITA-B\u00e9nin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org<\/a>
Charg\u00e9 de communication d'entreprise (international)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org<\/a>
Charg\u00e9 de la communication d'entreprise (Afrique de l'Ouest)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bureau de la communication
IITA \u2013 Si\u00e8ge
Ibadan, Nig\u00e9ria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c0 propos de l'IITA<\/b>
L'Afrique fait face \u00e0 des probl\u00e8mes complexes qui p\u00e8sent lourdement sur l'agriculture et la vie des populations. Nous d\u00e9veloppons des solutions agricoles avec nos partenaires pour lutter contre la faim et la pauvret\u00e9. Nos recherches pour le d\u00e9veloppement (R4D), maintes fois r\u00e9compens\u00e9es, reposent sur une r\u00e9flexion cibl\u00e9e et autoris\u00e9e, ancr\u00e9e dans les besoins de d\u00e9veloppement de l'Afrique subsaharienne. Nous travaillons avec des partenaires en Afrique et au-del\u00e0 pour r\u00e9duire les risques pour les producteurs et les consommateurs, am\u00e9liorer la qualit\u00e9 et la productivit\u00e9 des cultures, et g\u00e9n\u00e9rer de la richesse gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l'agriculture. L'IITA est une organisation internationale R4D \u00e0 but non lucratif fond\u00e9e en 1967, dirig\u00e9e par un Conseil d'administration et soutenue principalement par le CGIAR.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cabbage farms in West Africa ravaged by the Diamondback Moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, are set to make a strong comeback as IITA scientists in Benin Republic successfully develop and field test the use of a biopesticide based on Beauveria bassiana, a fungus, against the pest. For years, DBM has been devastating both smallholder and commercial cabbage farms in the region, affecting farmers’ incomes and market prices of the crop.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[26],"news-type":[],"hub":[],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[187],"class_list":["post-12934","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","hentry","location-benin","item-year-187"],"yoast_head":"\nIITA develops biopesticide against major cabbage pest in West Africa - IITA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/iita-develops-biopesticide-against-major-cabbage-pest-in-west-africa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IITA develops biopesticide against major cabbage pest in West Africa - IITA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cabbage farms in West Africa ravaged by the Diamondback Moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, are set to make a strong comeback as IITA scientists in Benin Republic successfully develop and field test the use of a biopesticide based on Beauveria bassiana, a fungus, against the pest. 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