Several areas with the occurrence of both pests will be tested to explore the effect of control of mole rats on the occurrence and severity of wilt. Control could be accomplished by either traps or chemicals so cost and effectiveness will be measured. However, the parameter of main interest will be the effect of mole rat control on the spread of bacterial wilt regardless of the farmers sanitation practice. It is possible that sharing of work tools amoung households brings the bacteria to the plantation and infects individual or a few plants but that mole rat feeding, tunneling and contamination is responsible for mass infestation within a plantation or within adjacent plantations. Information in this report has been obtained from specialised UN agencies and NGO reports.
Reference is made to other sources of information as necessary.