Integrating Metarhizium anisopliae and net houses for management of Bemisia tabaci and Phthorimaea absoluta in Tanzania

Description

This dataset supports a field study evaluating the integration of insect-proof net houses and the entomopathogenic fungus *Metarhizium anisopliae* ICIPE 69 for managing *Bemisia tabaci* and *Phthorimaea absoluta* in tomato (*Solanum lycopersicum*) and sweet pepper (*Capsicum annuum*) under smallholder farming conditions in northern Tanzania. Field experiments were conducted during the 2017 and 2019 growing seasons across three villages in Babati Rural District: Matufa, Shaurimoyo, and Bermi. Treatments followed a split-split-plot randomized complete block design, with cultivation system (net house or open field), crop species, and fungal inoculation (treated or untreated) as experimental factors. The study assessed plant height, canopy width, leaf number, adult *B. tabaci* abundance, *P. absoluta* leaf mining in tomato, and the number and weight of marketable and damaged fruits. These data provide a basis for examining how physical pest exclusion and fungal inoculation influence pest infestation, crop growth, and marketable production across crops and growing seasons. They support further evaluation of integrated pest management strategies suited to smallholder vegetable production in East Africa.

Steps to reproduce

Field experiments were conducted in Matufa, Shaurimoyo, and Bermi villages in Babati Rural District, Tanzania, during the 2017 and 2019 growing seasons. Treatments followed a split-split-plot randomized complete block design, with village serving as the blocking factor. The experimental factors were cultivation system (insect-proof net house or open field), crop species (tomato or sweet pepper), and fungal inoculation (*Metarhizium anisopliae* ICIPE 69 or untreated control). Tomato and sweet pepper seedlings assigned to fungal treatment received root-zone inoculation with a conidial suspension of approximately 10⁸ conidia mL⁻¹ before transplanting. Untreated seedlings underwent equivalent handling with sterile water. Plants were established and managed according to the procedures described in the associated manuscript. Plant growth and insect pest abundance were assessed weekly, while marketable and damaged fruit numbers and weights were recorded at harvest. Data were analyzed separately by crop using Python and statsmodels. Repeated growth and pest measurements were analyzed using generalized estimating equations with an autoregressive correlation structure, while yield responses were evaluated using factorial analysis of variance. To reproduce the analysis, organize observations by season, village, cultivation system, fungal treatment, and sampling week, then apply the statistical procedures described in the manuscript. Consult the associated publication for complete experimental procedures, model specifications, and treatment comparisons.

Institutions

• World Vegetable Center

  Taiwan, Shanhua

Categories

Funders

• United States Agency for International Development

  Government of the United States of America

  District of Columbia, Washington

  Grant ID: AID-BFS-G-11-00002

Licence