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 Schyzonycha 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).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brady N. C. (1984) The Nature and Properties of Soils. M/S Eurosia Publishing House (P) Ltd. India 750 pp.
Darlington J. P. E. C. (1985) Multiple primary reproductives in the termite Macrotermes michaelseni (Sjöstedt), pp. 187–200. In Caste Differentiation in Social Insects (Edited by Watson J. A. L., Okot-Kotber B. M. and Noirot C.). Pergamon Press, Oxford.
Démange J. M. (1975) Les myriapodes diplopodes, nuisibles à l’arachide au Sénégal. Oléagineux 30, 19–24.
Dicko I. O. and Lynch R. E. (1995) Effectiveness of soil-applied insecticide against foliage and pod-feeding arthropod pests in Burkina Faso. International Arachis Newsletter 15, 60–62.
Harris W. V. (1971) Termites: Their Recognition and Control. Longman London. 186 pp.
Johnson R. A. and Gumel M. H. (1981) Termite damage and crop loss studies in Nigeria-The incidence of termite-scarified groundnut pods and resulting kernel contamination in field and market samples. Trop. Pest Manage. 27, 343–350.
Johnson R. A., Lamb R. W. and Wood T. G. (1981) Termite damage and crop loss studies in Nigeria- A survey of damage to groundnuts. Trop. Pest Manage. 27, 325–342.
Lee K. E. and Wood T. G. (1971) Termite and Soils. Academic Press, London and New York. 251 pp.
L’Hote Y. and Mahe G. (1996) Afrique de l’ouest et centrale: Précipitations moyennes annuelles. Département eaux continentales, ORSTOM, Montpellier Cedex, France.
Lynch R. E., Ouedrogo A. P. and Dicko I. (1986) Insect damage to groundnut in semi-arid tropical Africa, pp. 175–183. In Agrometeorology of Groundnut. Proceedings of an International Symposium, 21–26 Aug 1985, ICRISAT Sahelian Centre, Niamey, Niger. ICRISAT, Patancheru, A. P. 502 324, India.
Masses H. (1981) Lutte contre les iules (Diplopodes, Spirostreptoidea) en culture arachidière au Sénégal. Oléagineux 36, 555–562.
Mercer P. C. (1978) Pests and diseases of groundnuts in Malawi. II. Disorders of pods, kernels and seedlings. Oléagineux 33, 119–122.
Rossion J. (1976) Les iules, déprédateurs de l’arachide au Sénégal. Résultats récents obtenus en matière de lutte chimique. Oléagineux 31, 327–333.
Sands W. A. (1977) The role of termites in tropical agriculture. Outlook on Agriculture 9, 136–143.
SAS Institute (1985) SAS User’s Guide: Statistics. 5th Ed. SAS Inst., Cary, North Carolina.
Srivastava K. P. and Butani D. K. (1987) Insect pests of tea in India and their control. Pesticide 21, 16–21.
Umeh V. C. (1995) Effect of termites in traditional intercrops involving citrus and pepper in parts of south-western Nigeria. Paper presented at the 10th Conference of the Horticultural Society of Nigeria (HORTSON), Kwara State Agricultural Development Program, llorín, Nigeria, 12–15 March 1995. 9 pp.
Umeh V. C. and Ivbijaro M. F. (1997) Termite abundance and damage in traditional maize-cassava intercrops in southwestern Nigeria. Insect Sci. Applic. 17, 315–321.
Waliyar R., Ba A., Hamma H., Bonkoungou S. and Bosc J. P. (1994) Sources of resistance to Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin contamination in groundnut genotypes in West Africa. Plant Disease 78, 704–708.
Wightman J. A. and Wightman A. S. (1994) An insect, agronomic and sociological survey of groundnut fields in southern Africa. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 51, 311–331.
Wood T. G., Johnson R. A. and Ohiagu C. E. (1980) Termite damage and crop loss studies in Nigeria- A review of termite damage to maize and estimation of damage, loss in yield and Microtermes abundance at Mokwa. Trop. Pest Manage. 26, 241–253.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Umeh, V.C., Waliyar, F., Traoré, S. et al. Soil Pests of Groundnut in West Africa—Species Diversity, Damage and Estimation of Yield Losses. Int J Trop Insect Sci 19, 131–140 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1017/S174275840001938X
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S174275840001938X