Current approaches in chemical ecology using regionally adapted sustainable methods

Abstract

Kenya is an African developing country situated at the equator ranking 157th of 177 countries in the human development index. Agriculture is next to tourism the most important economic sector with 24 % of the GDP. Poverty prevalence is highest with small holder farmers. A promissing approach to reduce this precarious condition is the implementation of organic agriculture. 1. Establishment of certified organic cash crop production for a domestic and/or an export market and 2. dissemination of common methods in organic agriculture to subsistently living small holder farmers are the two major strategies of the approach. Both have different positive impacts regarding poverty reduction. This Bachelor thesis focuses on the science-based push-pull project of the second strategy: In South western Kenya, the 'push-pull' cropping system for maize and sorghum production in subsistence farming was developed. It is a farming system which exploits the allelopathic defense reactions of indigenous plants against the major pests stem borers and the parasitic Striga weed in Subsaharan Africa. The practical part of this thesis strives to better understand one of the interactions within the cropping system. It is investigated if the legume Desmodium intortum which is commonly used in the push-pull cropping system induces a defense in Zea mays varieties against stem borer moths (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).