Groundnut leaf miner is a serious threat to groundnut production in sub-Saharan Africa, but a new brochure puts together up-to-date advice to identify and control the pest.
The guide was produced by Peanut & Mycotoxin Innovation Lab collaborator David Okello, the head of the Groundnut Improvement Program of the National Semi-Arid Research Resources Institute in Uganda.
First identified in Uganda in 1998, groundnut leaf miner has spread to Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Uganda and Mozambique, the pest has destroyed whole crops of groundnuts; it also attacks soybean, cowpea, alfalfa, pigeon pea, other legumes and cotton.
The guide, which can be downloaded from the PMIL site, covers how to identify the larval and moth stage of the pest, which varieties are resistant and different control measures. A poster version of the information also is available through PMIL.