Utilisation of Indigenous Practices for the Control of Armyworm Among Maize Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

Armyworm pest infestations are not without economic, environmental and social burdens for maize farmers. Control measures have also posed a serious challenge because of its resistance to major chemicals available in Nigerian market. Indigenous practices as a measure to control the pest among maize farmers in Oyo state was therefore investigated. The study used four-stage sampling procedure to select 121 respondents using Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) structure. Questionnaire and In-depth Interview (IDI) were used to elicit information on respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics, sources of information, maize farmers’ utilisation of indigenous methods, effectiveness of the indigenous practices and constraints to the use of indigenous knowledge for armyworm control. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at α 0.05. Respondents’ mean age was 57.1 ± 12.4. They were predominantly male (73.6%), married (66.9%), had a household size of 6.9±2.8 persons and earned an annual income of above ₦500,000 from maize production. Majority (87.6%) attained one form of formal education or the other and more than half (57.8%) had at least 20 years farming experience. Aged experienced farmers were ranked as highest sources of information (𝑥̅=1.91) and Indigenous practices mostly utilized in the study area were neem leaves (𝑥̅=1.33) and Siam weed (𝑥̅=1.32) soaked in water to spray infected plants. Constraints to utilisation included high labour intensity involved in the preparation (𝑥̅=2.07), scarcity of resources (𝑥̅=2.00) and secrecy of indigenous practices used (𝑥̅=1.82). Respondents perceived the use of Neem leaves (𝑥̅=1.33), Siam weed (𝑥̅=1.32) and Palm sheaves (𝑥̅=0.93) to be more effective in the control of armyworm. Utilisation of indigenous practices had significant relationship with year of farming experience (r=0.083). Effort should be made by researchers and extension agents to repackage and document indigenous practices for adoption among maize farmers in the study area.