Abstract
Using examples from surveys to collect natural enemies of the indigenous African sugarcane borer Eldana saccharina Walker throughout Africa, insight is given into what factors should be investigated should biological control of other indigenous African stemborers be considered. Indigenous host plant range, parts of indigenous and crop hosts attacked, types of natural enemies found in these different niches and natural enemy attack strategies are all important factors to consider when planning redistribution of indigenous natural enemies from one part of Africa to another. This knowledge is important when choosing the correct natural enemy for mass rearing and release into the affected crop, and can be used to manage the crop habitat, using the indigenous tritrophic systems identified, to increase crop diversity and thus effectiveness of indigenous natural enemies.
Résumé
En se basant sur des exemples d’enquêtes destinées à récolter les ennemis naturels du foreur indigène africain de la canne à sucre Eldana saccharina Walker en Afrique, cet article donne un aperçu des facteurs susceptibles d’être étudiés pour contrôler biologiquement les autres foreurs de tiges indigènes africains. La gamme des plantes hôtes indigènes, les parties attaquées des hôtes indigènes et cultivés, les types d’ennemis naturels trouvés dans ces différentes niches et les stratégies d’attaque des ennemis naturels sont tous des facteurs importants à considérer quand on projette de déplacer des ennemis naturels indigènes d’une région d’Afrique à une autre. Cette connaissance est importante lorsque l’on veut choisir l’ennemi naturel adapté pour la production de masse et pour le lâcher dans la culture affectée; elle peut également être utilisée pour gérer l’habitat de la culture, en utilisant le système tritrophique indigène identifié, afin d’accroître sa diversité et ainsi l’efficacité des ennemis naturels indigènes.
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Conlong, D.E. Biological Control of Indigenous African Stemborers: What Do We Know?. Int J Trop Insect Sci 21, 267–274 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400008341
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400008341
Key Words
- Lepidoptera
- Eldana saccharina
- Busseola fusca
- Sesamia calamistis
- Chilo orichalcociliellus
- biological control
- indigenous
- host plants
- Cyperaceae
- Graminae
- Juncaceae
- parasitoids
- Braconidae
- Ichneumonidae
- Chalcidae
- Bethylidae
- Tachinidae
- fungi
- nematodes