Know And Control Cassava Mealybug

Abstract

Cassava mealybug (CM) (Phenacoccus manihoti) was accidentally introduced into Africa in the early 1970s, most probably from South America, the original home of the cassava plant. Currently, this pest is found in most of the cassava growing belt in Sub-Saharan Africa, extending from 15°N to 200 S. Until recently, Kenya was one of the lucky few countries of the African cassava belt into which the pest had not spread.