Department of Biological Sciences, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P. M. B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
1Department of Animal and Environmental Science, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
With the avalanche of insecticides and their misuse especially in developing countries, it has become important to review all methods of insect pest management used in Nigeria, starting from the era of polyculture-crop diversity and to the present day intensive agricultural practices geared towards improving increased agricultural productivity, the great diversity of crops has attracted new and important pest problems. Recent trends in agricultural field pest management in Nigeria cover the use of chemicals, plant extracts, improved plant varieties, cultural control methods and the use of biological agents. Initially the predominant use of insecticides in the Nigerian agriculture was in the control of insect pest of tree crops such as cocoa and kola so much so that by the mid 1950s the use of sprayers and gama - HCH was well established in control of insect pests of major crops.
