Insecticide treatments for crops protection in cotton fields have often been cited as the main factor in the selection of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae populations. To explore this hypothesis further, the present study was designed to identify potential practices that may contribute to the emergence of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae in cotton crop protection strategies such as the “Calendar Control Program (CCP)” and “Targeted Intermittent Control Program (TICP)” officially recommended already operate in Benin. Firstly, Knowledge Attitude-Practice (KAP) surveys were organized in the study sites to generate adequate information on the use of insecticide on cotton fields. In each site, leaders of farmer’s organizations were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires that focused on the treatment strategies, and the use of insecticides in the farms. Further, bioassays were performed on adult mosquitoes collected from various of each program to assess the susceptibility of malaria vectors to insecticide-impregnated papers (permethrin 0.75%, delthamethrin 0.05%, DDT 4%, and bendiocarb 0.1%) following WHOPES guidelines. Results of this study showed that various pesticides particularly pyrethroids were used for pests control in CCP and TICP sites; ii)-Susceptibility tests showed that An. gambiae populations have developped resistance to DDT (4% as mean mortality despite the strategies), permethrin (30% in CCP and TICP), deltamethrin (38% and 46% as mean mortality in CCP and TICP respectivetly), but fully susceptible to bendiocarb . These findings confirmed the role of insecticide treatments in mosquitoes resistance. Measure must be taken for better management of the use of insectides for pest control.

The use of biodegradable food packaging plants could provide an alternative to plastic packaging, particularly for some traditional foods. This work aims to investigate the species of plant leaves used as food packaging in the food crafts in West Africa through their domestication. Data on different species of plant leaves have been collected through a survey among 8 municipalities in Benin using tools and methods based on focus groups. The criteria to select priority species for domestication have been identified from the pair wise comparison of plant species identified in each locality, using standard method. A larval toxicity test was performed on the main species to ensure their safety for domestication. A total of 43 plant species belonging to 29 families have been identified. From them, about 20% was domesticated and 80% were grown naturally. A total of 21.5% of natural species are in the way to be domesticated from which ten (10) have been identified as priority, non-toxic with domestication level varying between 2 (Acceptable level) and 3 (High level). These species include Thalia geniculata, Siphonochilus aethiopicus, Sarcocephalus latifolius, Cyrtosperma senegalense, Daniellia oliveri, Agyrea nervosa (High level of domestication) and Ampelocissus leonensis, Isoberlinia doka, Sterculia tragacantha, Icacina trichantha (Acceptable level of domestication). Due to the benefits that provide these species, particularly their biodegradability, it should be wonderful to develop an intensive policy of domestication for their sustainable use.