The Push-pull technology is an innovation from ICIPE. It’s a pest management approach that uses repellent intercrops and an attractive trap plant. Pests are repelled from the food crop and attracted to a trap crop, simultaneously. It is mostly used to control Stemborer and Striga.

1. Science Innovation for Better Livelihoods
Case Study:
PUSH-PULL TECHNOLOGY
FOR SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION OF
AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA
www.icipe.org
www.push-pull.net
Jimmy Pittchar
FARA General Assembly and 6th Science Week
15-20 July 2013
Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana

2. Maize worth US$ 1.5b is lost annually due to stemborers in
SSA
Chilo partellus
Busseola fusca

3. The parasitic witchweeds, Striga spp, threaten the lives of over
100 million people in Africa and infest 60% of arable land in the savannah
region causing an annual loss of billions of dollars to African agricultural
economy.
Khan et al. 2007. Crop Science 47:730-734

4. About 2/3 of 73 million ha of land devoted to cereal
production in Africa is infested with striga.
S. hermonthica S. asiatica
Distribution of Striga Weed in Africa

5. I. DEVELOPMENT PROCESS:
Formulating
a push-pull strategy for Africa
Africa needs simple, inexpensive, multi-
faceted technologies which are
developed with farmers’ participation
and are tailored to the diversity of their
farming systems
(Prof. Thomas R. Odhiambo, 1983)

6. The ‘Push-Pull’ scientific innovation
The ‘Push-Pull’ strategy is a novel approach in pest
management which uses a repellent intercrop and
an attractive trap plant. Insect pests are repelled
from the food crop and are simultaneously attracted
to a trap crop.
Attract natural
enemies
Moths are
pushed away
Attract moths
Trap Crop
Main Crop
Cook, Khan and Pickett (2007) Annu. Rev. Entomol. 52 : 375-400

7. “Push – Pull” for Stemborer and Striga Control, and
improvement of soil fertility
H3C
H
H
H
(E)-4,8-dimethyl-
1,3,7-nonatriene
-caryophyllene
(E)-β-ocimene
humulene
α-terpinolene
α -cedrene
hexanal
O
(E)-2-hexenal
O
(Z)-3-hexen-1-ol
OH
(Z)-3-hexen-1-yl acetate
O
O

8. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75
Days after egg hatch
%Larvalsurvival
Ex-Nyanza-1
Clone 13
Bana
Ex-Machakos
Ex-Nyanza-2
French Cameroon
Gold Coast
Mott
Pakistan Hybrid
Uganda Hairless
Maize
Survival of Stemborer (Chilo partellus) on
maize and Napier grass varieties
Khan et al. 2006. Entomol. Exp. Applic. 119:15-22

9. Stemborer larval feeding
on Napier grass
Stemborer larvae trapped
in gummy substance
Larva
Gummy substance

10. 10 15 20 25 30
Pennisetum purpureum
Zea mays
1
2
3
GC of the volatiles from Napier grass and maize
during beginning of the scotophase
Retention time
I.S.
I.S.
Hexanal
(Z)-3-hexen-1-ol
(Z)-3-hexenyl acetate
Chamberlain, Khan, Pickett, Toshova and Wadhams, 2006. Journal of Chemical Ecology 32:565-577

11. Maize
Pull and trap
Pullandtrap
Pullandtrap
Pull and trap
CONTROL OF STEMBORERS WITH TRAP
PLANTS

12. Desmodium intercrop
• Inhibits striga growth through allelopathy
•Perennial fodder legumes indigenous to South America
•Important cattle feed in eastern Africa
•Can fix~ 110-160 Kg N/ha/year
Desmodium uncinatum Desmodium intortum

13. Long Term Trials with Maize-Legume Intercrops
Maize + Green gram
Maize + cowpea Maize +Desmodium
Maize + Beans
Khan et al. 2007. Crop Science 47:730-734

14. HYBRID MAIZE WITH FERTILIZER FOR 10 YEARS
fertilizer application alone is ineffective against striga,
the main biotic constraint to smallholder agriculture in
Africa

15. Khan et al. 2002. J. Chem. Ecol. 28: 1871-1885
ALLELOPATHIC MECHANISM OF STRIGA
SUPPRESSION

16. Compounds Isolated from Desmodium Root
Exudate
Tsanuo et al. 2003. Phytochemistry 64: 265-273
Hooper et al. 2009. Pest Manag.Sci 65: 546-552

17. II. OUTCOMES

18. Push-Pull Strategy

19. 1= (E)-ß-ocimene;
2= α-terpinolene;
3= β-caryophyllene;
4= humulene;
5= (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-
nonatriene;
6= α-cedrene;
7= hexanal;
8= (E)-2-hexenal;
9= (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol;
10= (Z)-3-hexen-1-yl acetate ;
11= 5,7,2′,4′-tetrahydroxy-6-(3-
methylbut-2-enyl)isoflavanone
(uncinanone A);
12= 4′′,5′′-dihydro-5,2′,4′-
trihydroxy-5′′-isopropenylfurano-
(2′′,3′′;7,6)-isoflavanone
(uncinanone B); 13= 4′′,5′′-
dihydro-2′-
methoxy-5,4′-dihydroxy-5′′-
isopropenylfurano-(2′′,3′′;7,6)-
isoflavanone (uncinanone
C), 14= di-C-glycosylflavone 6-
C-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-8-C-β-
Dglucopyranosylapigenin

20. Before After
•Effective control of stemborers
and striga weeds
•Grain yields increased from
<1t/ha to 3.5t/ha with minimum
inputs
•Soil health improved: nitrogen
fixation (110kg N/ha), increased
organic matter , moisture
conservation and enhanced soil
biodiversity
•Lower soil temperature –
improved potential to mitigate
effects of climate change

21. MAIZE INTERCROPPED WITH DESMODIUMMAIZE ONLY
Desmodium effectively inhibits Striga emergence;
raises maize yields from < 1 t/ha to 3.5t/ha
3.5 t/ha< 1 t /ha

22. On-Farm Evaluation of ‘Push-Pull’
Technology (n=420)
Khan et al. 2008. Field Crops Research 106: 224-233
5
10
15
20
25
0
100
200
300
400
500
0
1
2
3
4
2003 2004 2005 2006
30
No. of emerged striga/63 maize plants
% stemborer damaged plants
Maize Yields (t/ha)
*
****
****
*
* *
Maize monocrop fields
Push-pull fields

23. Economics of the push-pull system
-1
0
1
2
3
4
Trans Nzoia Suba Bungoma Busia
-200
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Returntolabour
(USD/manday)
Return to Labour
Grossbenefits
(USD/ha)
Gross benefits
Push-pull system Maize/bean intercrop Maize mono
Districts
*Data averages of five years in each district
Khan et al. 2008. Crop Protection 27: 976-987

24. Sorghum Mono Crop Sorghum + Desmodium intortum
SORGHUM
2.6
t/ha
1.4
t/ha

25. MILLET
417 864
kg/ha

26. RICE
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
About a quarter About half About three quarters Almost all
Farmers' estimation of crop loss
%Farmers

27. Benefits of Push-Pull Technology
Sustainable Development
Gender & Social Equity
Stemborers
and striga
control
Increased
fodder
production
N-fixation
and reduced
soil erosion
Increased
forage seed
production
Conservation
of biodiversity
Increased
crop yields
Improved
cattle
health
Improved
soil health
Increased
household
income
Technological
Empowerment of farmers
Improved
human health
Empowerment
of women
Improved
dairy
production
Improved
FYM
Production

28. III. KEY FACTORS FOR
HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY,
GREATER RESILIENCE AND
EXPANSION

29. Crop-Livestock Integration
Both trap and repellent plants are excellent livestock fodder.
Heifer International recommends push-pull as a source of
quality fodder for dairy animals

30. INTEGRATING BEANS IN PUSH-PULL SYSTEM
Maize and beans in different holes Maize and beans in same holes
Farmers’ Practice of planting Maize and
beans

31. Adaptation of Push-Pull to Climate
Change
Brachiaria cv mulato
Vetiver grass
Screening for drought tolerant grasses for use as trap
plants in adapted push-pull for drier areas of Africa

32. D. ramosissimum
D. intortum D. incanum
Identification of drought tolerant Desmodium spp.
D. repandum

33. Elucidation of scientific mechanisms of selected trap and
intercrop plants
H
H
(E)-ocimene
(E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7
-nonatriene
-caryophyllene
humulene
-terpinolene
CHO CHO
MeO HO
MeO
OH
nonanal
4-allylanisole
naphthalene
octanal
eugenol
linalool
Plant volatile collection, analysis
and identification

34. CLIMATE-SMART PUSH-PULL

35. Farmers’ drama
Evaluation of Efficiency
and Economics of
Dissemination Pathways
Field daysPrint Media
Farmer Field Schools
Farmer Teachers
Radio

36. Key Elements of Processes that Build agro-
ecosystem Outputs and Resilience
•Use of locally available natural resources to increase farm
productivity, while delivering ecological and economic
benefits to smallholder farmers
•Polycultural system fits traditional farming systems, attracts
higher arthropod abundance and diversity
•Stemborer and striga control through plants natural
chemistry resulting in higher yields of cereal grain, fodder
and milk, and incomes
•Pereniality of companion plants ensures continuous striga
depletion
•Adaptability to climate change
•Environmental benefits: soil and moisture conservation,
improved soil health, increased soil cover and organic
matter, eliminates pesticide usage

37. GREEN REVOLUTION IN AFRICA ?
Productivity revolution in Africa will come
from adoption of simple, environmentally
sustainable and low cost platform
technologies like push-pull, which are
developed by understanding and exploiting
basic and applied sciences. These
technologies will address food security and
livelihood of smallholders without requiring
extra resources for crop protection and soil
improvement and without causing any
ecological and social harm.

38. RECOMMENDATIONS
• Institutionalisation, capacity development and
scaling up Push-pull through continent-wide,
regional and country-level partnerships in line
with the CAADP Framework (FARA, ASARECA,
AFAAS, EAFF, NAREs, and NGOs);
• Farming systems approach – Participatory
validation, optimization and development of
recommendation domains for different agro-
ecological and country settings;
• Value chain development – building forward and
backward linkages for sustainable application and
integration of Push-pull.

39. THANK YOU
Agricultural innovation for their better future ..….