A Primer on Planting and Managing 'PushâPull' Fields for Stemborer ...

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Things Not To Do1.Do not trim desmodium during the first season.2.3.4.Do not graze livestock in the push-pull plot, becauseanimals will destroy the Napier grass and desmodium.Do not intercrop desmodium with Napier grass in the samerow.Do not plant any other crop with the Napier grass.5. Do not allow desmodium to spread into the maize rowsin the second and subsequent seasons until the maize is 6weeks old. This reduces the competition between the twocrops.6. Never cut all the three rows of Napier together. This avoids‘windowing’. Always cut one row all around your maize at atime.7. Do not let Napier grass over-grow because it will not beeffective in controlling stemborers and will become hardand coarse for cattle to feed on.8. Do not plough under the desmodium rows. Re planting thedesmodium is very expensive and is not necessary as it cangrow for up to 5 years or more.40
Frequently Asked QuestionsQ1. What is the maximum and minimum size of thepush‐pull plot?Answer:A push-pull plot can range from 50 x 50 m (minimum) or be usedon any size farm provided the fields are demarcated into 50 x 50m sections using border rows of Napier grass.Q2. What is the minimum width of a push-pull plot?Answer:Not less than 10 metres (32 ft).Q3. How long can the push-pull plot be kept?Answer:If well managed, you can benefit from your push pull plot for 5 ormore years.Q4. Can I graze my cattle directly in the push pull plot?Answer:No. Grazing destroys desmodium and Napier grass.Q5. Can I practise push-pull’ if I don’t have livestock?Answer:Yes, because you can sell the Napier and desmodium forage andseed to your neighbours and desmodium can improve the fertilityof your soil.41
Page 1: A Primer on Planti
Page 4 and 5: A Primer on Planti
Page 6 and 7: IllUSTRATIONSFigure 1. Adult stembo
Page 8 and 9: FOREWORDStemborers and striga weed
Page 11 and 12: Stemborers and Striga WeedsStembore
Page 13 and 14: During the early stage of crop grow
Page 15 and 16: Pupadevelopsinto mothMoth layseggs
Page 17 and 18: When a farm is infested with striga
Page 19 and 20: Control of Stemborers and Striga We
Page 21: Benefits of adopting a push-pull st
Page 24 and 25: Step 2. Planting materialEnsure tha
Page 26 and 27: Step 3. Planting the push-pull crop
Page 28 and 29: Figure 15. Diagram of maize and Nap
Page 30 and 31: Figure 18. Farmers drilling and cov
Page 32 and 33: FIgure 20. Three-week-old silverlea
Page 34 and 35: 2nd weeding• The second weeding s
Page 36 and 37: Figure 26. Cutting of the inner row
Page 38 and 39: Figure 28. Flowering/podding desmod
Page 40 and 41: Step 8. Harvesting and processing d
Page 42 and 43: Figure 32. Winnowing desmodium seed
Page 44 and 45: Planting Push-Pull During the Secon
Page 46 and 47: Step 3. Weeding1st weeding• Weed
Page 48 and 49: Feeding Your Cow• Chop the harves
Page 52 and 53: Q6. Can I intercrop other crops and
Page 54 and 55: Q14. What can I do if I don’t get
Page 56 and 57: GlossaryCANDAPdeadheartdrilling ine
Page 58: For more information, contact:Direc

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A Primer on Planting and Managing 'PushâPull' Fields for Stemborer ...