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Effect of fungicides used for powdery mildew disease management on the African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a biocontrol agent of sap-sucking pests in cashew crops in Tanzania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 October 2013

Moses I. Olotu ,
Nguya K. Maniania ,
Sunday Ekesi ,
Zuberi S. Seguni  and
Hannalene du Plessis
Moses I. Olotu
Affiliation:
icipe – African Insect Science for Food and Health, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Nguya K. Maniania*
Affiliation:
icipe – African Insect Science for Food and Health, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Sunday Ekesi
Affiliation:
icipe – African Insect Science for Food and Health, PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Zuberi S. Seguni
Affiliation:
Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute (MARI), PO Box 6226, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Hannalene du Plessis
Affiliation:
North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, South Africa
*
*E-mail: nmaniania@icipe.org
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Abstract

In this study, the effect of the application of three powdery mildew fungicides, namely triadimenol, triadimefon and sulphur, on the African weaver ant (AWA), Oecophylla longinoda Latreille, was evaluated for two seasons in two cashew fields, one each in the Bagamoyo and Mkuranga districts, Coast region, Tanzania. The fungicides were applied at monthly intervals, and the dynamics of AWA were monitored monthly by counting the number of leaf nests per tree and trails on main branches. There were no significant differences among the treatments on AWA at different observation dates in terms of the number of leaf nests and colonization of AWA trails per tree in the two cashew fields studied. In August 2011, for example, the number of leaf nests before application ranged from 7.8 to 9.0 and 13.6 to 14.6 in Bagamoyo and Mkuranga, respectively, and after application, it ranged from 7.8 to 10.0 and 12.4 to 15.2 in Bagamoyo and Mkuranga, respectively. The three powdery mildew fungicides did not have detrimental effects on the abundance of AWA in cashew fields and can, therefore, be used together with AWA as important components of an integrated pest and disease management programme for cashew crops in Tanzania.

Keywords

colonizationtriadimenoltriadimefonsulphur
Type
Research Papers
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 283 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © icipe 2013 

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