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Author: Engela Duvenage
Published: 08/04/2021
For the past 18 years, researchers at Stellenbosch University (SU) have studied a selection of nematodes found naturally in South African soils. In the process they have identified quite a few such roundworm species that could be used to biologically control agricultural pests. A recent MSc Entomology graduate, Ms Abongile Nxitywa, has now solved one of the conundrums that have so far stumped the SU research team s efforts to roll out this natural pest control method for use on local farms: how to store and transport them live, and
en masse.
Her finding now opens the door for opportunities to commercialise the use of nematodes within the South African agricultural setting, as a substitute for chemical pesticides. Similar commercial endeavours are already underway in America.