Pest Complex and Management Interventions for Insects in Orange Orchards in Amuria District, Eastern Uganda

Alfred Opok¹, Raymond Mutumba^2*, Perpetra Akite¹, and Patrice Kasangaki³

Abstract

Citrus fruits, particularly Valencia, Hamlin, and Washington Navel (Citrus sinensis), are among the major commercial horticultural crops grown widely in the Teso sub-region of Uganda. Roving and fixed plot surveys were carried out to assess the major insect pests occurring on these three citrus varieties. The citrus insect pests recorded by this study were aphids, fruit flies, scales, leaf miners, and citrus butterflies. The three citrus varieties were all susceptible to insect pests, although Valencia was the most infested variety, while Washington Navel recorded the least infestation. The study clearly revealed the dominance of aphids, fruit flies, and scales, while the citrus butterfly was the least dominant. The fact that the fruit fly is among the dominant pests necessitates the need for control since it bears a strong relationship with the fruit, which is the most economical part of the citrus plant. From farmers’ interviews, they were able to identify three pests (aphids, scales, and citrus butterfly), although they mistakenly gave weaver ants as pests in both sub-counties. Farmers also reported the use of Chemical, cultural, and a mixture of chemical and cultural as the only known methods to them. According to a questionnaire study conducted with citrus growers, 55% of growers stated that they were using cultural control, 20% used chemical and 25% applied a mix of both methods. Evaluation of different approaches under the umbrella of IPM obtained results with great variations in population reduction of different insect pests. Pheromone trap reduced the population of fruit flies by over 80%. Cultural control against the citrus butterfly and biological control against the fruit fly both reduced the population of the target pests by above 50%, while the chemical method used against all insect pests reduced their population by 50% and above.

Keywords

citrus; pest complex; survey; orchards; intervention

Cite This Article

Opok, A., Mutumba, R., Akite, P., Kasangaki, P. (2026). Pest Complex and Management Interventions for Insects in Orange Orchards in Amuria District, Eastern Uganda. International Journal of Scientific Advances (IJSCIA), Volume 7| Issue 2: Mar – Apr 2026, Pages 253-262 URL: https://www.ijscia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Volume7-Issue2-Mar-Apr-No.1040-253-262.pdf

Volume 7 | Issue 2: Mar – Apr 2026