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This study examined the impact of push-pull technology (PPT) on the nutritional status of children aged 1-12 years. Non-push-pull (NPPT) farmers were used as a control group to establish a comparative model for this study. It determined household production, consumption, and surpluses, comparing the PPT adopters to the non-adopters; found out the incomes and food expenditures from farm products; found out the household dietary diversity scores; and finally found the nutritional status of the two household groups. A six faceted household-level metrics was employed. A sample of 216 households that registered 326 children was derived. This study was conducted in western Kenya: Busia, Butere, Siaya, Vihiga, Kisumu, and Migori. In this study 53% were male and 47% female from the households assessed. Households with married couples were 87.5%, 1.9% were single parents, 0.5% were separated and 10.2% were widowed. Averagely, 7.20 members came from PPT households, while 6.99 were from NPPT households. Each household (both PPT and NPPT) had an average number of three children. The study further showed that 88 households of PPT had their income sources from farm products sales as NPPT had 67 households on the same. Income was averagely 126.29US$ for PPT and 91US$ for NPPT. Push-pull households had 1303 Kgs of farm production while NPPT had 578 Kgs per year. The scale of agriculture to nutrition benefits recorded 8.7/10 for PPT and 7.14/10 for NPPT. Finally, PPT registered 12% of [greater than or equal to]+2SD, 84% of between -2 and > +2SD and 4% of [less than or equal to] -2SD for children under five years and 3% of [greater than or equal to]+2SD, 89% of between -2 and > +2SD and 8% of [less than or equal to] -2SD for children aged between 6 to 12 years. Non Push-pull households controversially registered 3% of [greater than or equal to]+2SD, 61% of between -2 and > +2SD and 36% of [less than or equal to] -2SD for children less than five years and 3% of [greater than or equal to]+2SD, 53% of between -2 and > +2SD and 44% of [less than or equal to] 2SD for children aged between 6 to 12 years. In conclusion, PPT is proven as an agricultural intervention that has enhanced nutritional improvement. Key words: Push-pull Technology (PPT), Non Push-pull Technology (NPPT), nutrition, dietary diversity, food security, Body Mass Index (BMI), agriculture, INTRODUCTION The push-pull technology (PPT) is a strategy of controlling agricultural pests by using repellant 'push' plants and trap 'pull' plants [1]. For an instance, the stem borer pests of [...]

A better understanding of the chemical cues employed by parasitoids to locate their herbivore hosts will contribute towards effective exploitation of parasitoids as biological control agents against damaging crop pests. The current study was conducted to establish key bioactive compounds mediating behavioural response in the parasitic wasp Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron, 1906) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) by employing electrophysiological techniques and behavioural studies. Electroantennogram (EAG) recording with synthetic equivalents of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) using C. sesamiae confirmed that 13 compounds elicited electrophysiological activity. In an olfactometer bioassay, only (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, (E)-β-farnesene, and (E,E)-4,8,-trimethyl-1,3,7tridecatetraene elicited behavioural responses from the parasitoid when tested individually at a natural dose, while (R)-linalool and (E)-caryophyllene were attractive at the highest test dose. Other EAG-active HIPVs were not attractive either at lower or higher concentrations, suggesting their role as blend components rather than functioning as attractants by themselves. In contrast, ninecomponent synthetic HIPV blends formulated in the same ratio and concentration as in a natural sample was as attractive as the original headspace sample. By providing further insights into maize-stemborer-parasitoid tritrophic interactions, results from this study will help in selecting crop cultivars emitting appropriate HIPVs to attract natural enemies and perhaps repel damaging crop pests. Key words: electrophysiology, bioassay, parasitoid, Cotesia sesamiae, bioactive compounds. Une meilleure comprehension des signaux chimiques employes par les parasitoides pour localiser leurs hotes herbivores facilitera leur exploitation efficace comme agents de lutte biologique contre les ravageurs des cultures. L'etude a ete realisee pour cerner les composes bioactifs cles qui modulent la reaction comportementale chez la guepe parasitique Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron, 1906) (Hymenopteres : Braconidae) en utilisant des techniques electrophysiologiques et des etudes du comportement. L'enregistrement electroantennographique (EAG) pour C. sesamiae en presence d'equivalents synthetiques de composes volatils induits chez les plantes par des herbivores (HIPV) a confirme que 13 composes suscitaient une activite electrophysiologique. Dans une epreuve biologique olfactometrique, seuls le (E)-4,8-dimethyle-1,3,7-nonatriene, le (E)-p-farnesene et le (E,E)-4,8,-trimethyle-1,3,7-tridecatetraene ont induit des reactions comportementales du parasitoide quand ils etaient testes individuellement a des doses naturelles, alors que le (R)-linalol et le (E)-caryophyllene etaient attractifs a la dose testee la plus elevee. D'autres HIPV agissant sur l'EAG n'etaient pas attractifs a des concentrations tant faibles que plus fortes, donnant a penser qu'ils jouent un role de composes de melange plutot que d'attractifs fonctionnels. En revanche, un melange d'HIPV synthetiques de neuf composes formule selon le meme rapport et les memes concentrations que ceux d'un echantillon naturel etait aussi attractif que l'echantillon d'espace de tete initial. En jetant un nouvel eclairage sur les interactions tritrophiques mais - foreur de tiges - parasitoide, les resultats de l'etude aideront a selectionner des cultivars qui emettent les bons HIPV pour attirer des ennemis naturels et, possiblement, repousser des ravageurs de cultures. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: electrophysiologie, epreuve biologique, parasitoide, Cotesia sesamiae, composes bioactifs., Introduction When plants are subjected to insect attack, they release a blend of volatile compounds known as herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that attract natural enemies of the attacking herbivore (De [...]