Dr Honest Machekano is interested in the thermal biology and climate adaptation of crop pests and beneficial insects both at individual and different trophic levels. As a specialist in stored product entomology, his research seeks to unravel how the mechanisms of adaptation to climate change can be countered in pests but improved in biological control agents in the context of postharvest integrated pest management (IPM). He apply the concepts of thermal biology on stored product pests to harness data on lethal thresholds and thermal resilience mechanisms (e.g. plasticity) as guides for developing temperature disinfestation protocols for stored commodities. He also focus on improving effective components of field crop IPM and how research, policy and extension may be holistically harmonised to inculcate IPM practices in both small- and large-scale farming systems.
