Entomocidal activity of ethanolic leaf extracts of four plant species namely Euphorbia balsamifera Aiton, Lawsonia inermis L., Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC. and Senna obtusifolia L. were evaluated in order to assess their protectant ability to stored sorghum against Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. The botanicals were applied to 20 g of sorghum grains at the rate of 25, 50 and 100 mgml-1 , while no extracts was added to the control. Percentage repellency was recorded at 24 h after exposure (HAE) while adult mortalities of the weevils were obtained at 3 days after treatment (DAT). Adult emergence and grain perforations were recorded at 49 and 84 DAT, respectively. Repellency levels of the botanicals against S. zeamais ranged from 87.05 ± 0.45 to 100.00 ± 0.00%. Also, the ethanolic extracts resulted in high adult mortalities of the weevils in the treated sorghum grains. No adult emergence was recorded in grains treated with the botanical extracts. Highest (10.00 ± 2.04%) grain perforations among the treatments were observed in 25 mgml-1 of S. obtusifolia, while 2.50 ± 1.25% was the least in the highest concentration of E. balsamifera. Findings of the study have revealed that the selected botanicals could serve as stored sorghum protectants against S. zeamais infestations.

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Supiturang is one of the villages in Kecamatan Pronojiwo, Kabupaten Lumajang that sits on the lahar flow path of Semeru Volcano. The village constantly faces a lahar-flood hazard, inevitably impacting the local community. Therefore, this paper aims to map the lahar-flood hazard of Supiturang village using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. The main parameters are 1) slope (%), 2) distance from drainage (m), 3) elevation (m ASL), 4) rainfall (mm), and 5) land cover (water body/bare land/forest/grassland/plantation/ricefield/mixed agriculture/built-up area). This research is a descriptive-quantitative study that used survey and geographic information system (GIS) approaches. The result showed that the lahar-flood hazard class of Supiturang varies from very low, low, moderate, high, to very high. The very high hazard class is distributed near the lahar flow path. Despite most settlements being in the moderate hazard class, some are in the high and very high hazard class. The findings from this research can advantage the further improvement and development of evacuation routes, assembly points, refuges, observatory stations, and other related Semeru Volcano disaster risk mitigation actions.

The yellow dwarf (YD) disease complex epidemics in cultivated cereals grown in a specific period of the year mainly depend on the presence of potential reservoir alternative hosts harbouring both the viruses and the vectors over the off‐season and serve as a source of inoculum in subsequent cropping season, further spread being supported by efficient aphid vectors. As such, an extensive and intensive exploration to generate base line information on the identity and prevalence of YD viruses [barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV)‐PAV, BYDV‐MAV and BYDV‐SGV; cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV)‐RPV; and maize yellow dwarf virus (MYDV)‐RMV] on wild annual and perennial grasses and forage cereals alternative hosts was conducted consecutively during 2013–2015 main‐ and short‐rainy seasons in cereals growing belts of Ethiopia. Random sampling was employed to collect the samples that were tested by the tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA) to identify the YDVs associated with the hosts using a battery of virus‐specific polyclonal antibodies. Of 13,604 samples analysed, YDVs were detected in 392 (2.9%) samples, which consisted of various wild grasses, forage cereals and three cultivated crops. YDVs were identified from at least 26 grass species and forage cereals, some of them are new records, and some are previously documented hosts. To our knowledge, this is the first report of YDV infection of Andropogon abyssinicus (FresenR.Br. ex Fresen.) (BYDV‐PAV), Avena abyssinica Hochst (BYDV‐PAV), Bromus pectinatus Thunb. (BYDV‐PAV and BYDV‐MAV), Eragrostis tef (Zuccagni) Trotter (BYDV‐PAV), Eragrostis sp. (BYDV‐PAV), Hyparrhenia anthistrioides Stapf. (BYDV‐PAV), Panicum coloratum L. (BYDV‐PAV), Polypogon monspeliensis (L.) Desf. (BYDV‐PAV), Setaria pumila (Poir.) Roem & Schult (BYDV‐PAV, BYDV‐SGV and MYDV‐RMV), Setaria australiensis (Scribn. & Merrill) Vickery (BYDV‐PAV, BYDV‐MAV and CYDV‐RPV) and Snowdenia polystachya (Fresen.) Pilg (BYDV‐PAV, BYDV‐MAV, BYDV‐SGV, CYDV‐RPV and MYDV‐RMV).