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Soil Pests of Groundnut in West Africa—Species Diversity, Damage and Estimation of Yield Losses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

V. C. Umeh ,
F. Waliyar ,
S. Traoré  and
E. Egwurube
V. C. Umeh*
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), B.P. 320 Bamako, Mali
F. Waliyar
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), B.P. 320 Bamako, Mali
S. Traoré
Affiliation:
Institut d'Etudes et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), 01 B.R 910 Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina-Faso
E. Egwurube
Affiliation:
Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, PMB 1044, Zaria, Nigeria
*
Corresponding author: VCU. E-mail: v.umeh@icrisatml.org
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Abstract

Among the major arthropods in soil and plant samples taken from groundnut farms during the 1996 cropping season in Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, termites in the genus Microtermes (Isoptera: Termitidae) were the most abundant and widely distributed species of economic importance. None of the termite species identified on trees in the surveyed farms attacked groundnuts. At plant maturity, termites were less frequently observed in soils taken from bare ground but were predominantly found on plants. Residues of previous cereal crops in the fields contributed to termite spread. Most of the whitegrub (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and millipede (Myriapoda: Odontopygidae) species identified belonged to the genera of Schyzonycha and Peridontopyge respectively. There was a general decrease in both their population densities and the percentages of farms they infested at plant maturity compared to the early stages of the crop. Mean percentages of plants attacked by termites, whitegrubs and millipedes in the surveyed groundnut fields were 39.4, 10.9, and 9.3% respectively. Yield loss due to termites, which predominantly damaged harvested kernels, was estimated at 9.6–30.4%, and was significantly correlated with percentage of plants damaged by termites (r2 = 0.73).

Résumé

Les échantillons de sols et de plantes pris dans les champs d'arachide pendant la campagne de 1996 au Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger et Nigeria ont montré que parmi les groupes d'arthropodes nuisibles du sol d'importance économique, des espèces de termites Microtermes étaient les plus abondantes et largement distribuées. Aucune des espèces de termites identifiées sur les arbres échantillonnés n'avaient attaqué les arachides. Pendant la maturation des plantes, les termites ont été fréquemment moins observés dans les échantillons du sol prélevés, mais ils prédominaient dans les échantillons de'plantes. Les résidus des cultures de céréales ont contibué à la propagation des termites. La. plupart des espèces de vers blancs (Coléoptère: Scarabaeidae) et de mille-pattes (Myriapode: Odontopygidae) identifiées font partie des genres Scliyzonycha et Peridontopyge, respectivement. Il y avait généralement une baisse des populations de ces espèces de vers blancs et mille-pattes, et le pourcentage de champs infestés pendant la maturité des plantes par rapport à 25–45 jours après les semis. Les pourcentages moyens de plantes attaquées par les termites, les vers blancs et les mille-pattes étaient de 39,4, 10,9, et 9,3% respectivement. Les pertes de rendements occasionnées aux gousses par les termites qui sont principalement responsables des dégâts sur les graines sont estimées à 9,6–30,4%, sont significativement corrélées au pourcentage de plantes endommagées par les termites (r2 = 0,73).

Keywords

Arachis hypogaeagroundnut soil peststermitesWest Africa
Type
Research Articles
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 19 , Issue 2-3 , September 1999 , pp. 131 - 140
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1999

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