Borowka, R., Hein, D.F., & Hummel, H.E. 2005 Biologischer Pflanzenschutz des ostafrikanischen Maniokanbaus. [Biological plant protection on cassava in East Africa.]. Gesunde Pflanzen 57(1): 18-26.

Notes: Biological plant protection is considered an important part of integrated pest management (IPM) and may eventually culminate in global resource management. IPM involves all factors that are suitable for and contribute to "a unified programme to manage pest populations so that economic damage is avoided and adverse side effects to the environment are minimized". Unfortunately, the entomological challenges in the direction of global resource management are only minor aspects of the task to be solved. Efforts to control a number of pests on cassava in East Africa, specifically in the Republic of Malawi, must focus on the cassava mealy bug Phenacoccus manihoti, but also on the green cassava mite Mononychellus tanajoa, the grasshopper Zonocerus elegans, and the bacterial disease Xanthomonas campestris pv. manihotis [X. axonopodis pv. manihotis]. Moreover, the effective management of these insects and microorganisms needs also to consider external, particularly sociological and economic factors that currently interfere with the best efforts of the scientists involved. These external factors are a formidable challenge to the best scientific state of the art available. In view of our experiences in East Africa, we propose to transform IPM into a system of Integrated Production (IP) as a generally applicable, sustainable, long-term strategy for global plant protection. If adopted, this would be a move into the direction envisioned by delegates at the World Conference at Rio de Janeiro.