Leafy onion and African eggplant are two profitable crops whose yields are negatively impacted by insect pests, vectors and diseases. This study was undertaken to compare the agronomic efficacy and economic profitability of neem seed extract to the conventional vegetable crop in Louda village. A randomised complete block design with three replications including one treatment of Neem seed grain powder aqueous extract (TB); treatment of chemical pesticide of industrial synthesis (TP); and control treatment, without any phytosanitary treatment (TA) was implemented with farmers. The results showed that neem seed extracts had comparable effects to chemical pesticides in pest control. Indeed, compared to the TA treatment, the TP and TB treatments significantly reduced the number of perforated plants of Leafy onion and African eggplant. The number of diseased plants of African eggplant was significantly reduced by -239% under TB treatment compared to TA. The best yields were recorded with the TB and TP treatments significantly increases of 33 and 44% on leafy onion and 57 and 56% on African eggplant respectively compared to the TA treatment. Economically, the results showed that gross margins from production and marketing of leafy onion under TB and TP were 63% and 17% higher respectively; net margins 91% and 76%; and average labour productivity 91% and 80% higher than under TA. These results show that the use of biopesticides in leafy onion and African eggplant crops was relatively equal to and many times more agronomically and economically effective than industrial pesticide treatment. Thus, better pest management by vegetable growers and the production of healthy produce can be achieved by adopting organic production and by training garden farmers in the manufacture and use of biopesticides.

Biopesticides, Azadirachta indica, leafy onion, African EGGPLANT