We would like to announce that the 28th International Working Group of Ostrinia and other maize pests (IWGO) Conference will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, in the first week of May 2023. The International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC) is the parent organization of IWGO. We are pleased to inform you that we will partner with our colleagues in the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) who have agreed to co-host the IWGO event. Their Conference Centre is located in a serene peaceful environment away from the city hustle of Nairobi. This will also provide us the opportunity to organize a field trip to observe fall armyworm damage in Kenya. However, we would like to point out that the scientific programme will not focus only on the fall armyworm. Control options and other topics related to different maize pests will be discussed too, including successes and challenges of non-chemical control approaches, behavior, ecology, and genomics of insects in maize agroecosystems.
For the next step, we will contact you to collect ideas for scientific sessions and to identify teams of session co-organizers, following the format of earlier IWGO conferences. We are considering continuing with the 10-minute oral contribution format allowing an additional 10 minutes of discussion time following each presentation, as this worked out extremely well during our recent digital meeting.
We are looking forward to arranging a stimulating IWGO conference and hope that you will contribute through the submission of scientific session ideas and oral or poster contributions, and of course your active personal participation in Kenya.
