Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Composition of stem borer communities in selected vegetation mosaics in Kenya

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Arthropod-Plant Interactions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Busseola fusca (Fuller), Sesamia calamistis Hampson, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and Chilo orichalcociliellus (Strand) are important stem borer pests of maize and sorghum in East Africa. Persistence of these pests in crop fields is blamed on the influx of diaspore populations from the neighbouring natural habitats. In addition to pest species, natural habitats support numerous non-economic stem borer species, some not known to science. However, due to growing human populations and accompanying global change, some of the natural habitats are undergoing rapid changes, a process that may result in the evolution of “new” pest species. In this study, we investigated stem borer species diversity in four different vegetation mosaics in Kenya, with an aim of establishing the differences in species composition and distributions in both wild and cultivated habitats. We identified 33 stem borer species belonging to 14 different genera in the four families; Noctuidae, Crambidae, Pyralidae and Tortricidae from 37 plant species. In addition to the above stem borer pest species, we found three more species, Busseola segeta Bowden, Pirateolea piscator Fletcher and Eldana saccharina Walker, in the cultivated fields. Together, stem borer pests varied in distribution among vegetation mosaics, suggesting differences in ecological requirement. Despite the variations in distribution patterns, stem borer pests co-existed with non-economic species in the natural habitats, communities that are facing threats due to ongoing habitat changes. This paper discusses the likely impacts of habitat changes on both pest and non-economic species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bosque-Pérez NA, Schulthess F (1998) Maize: West and Central Africa. In: Polaszek A (ed) African Cereal Stem borers: Economic Importance Taxonomy, Natural Enemies and Control. CAB International in association with the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation CTA, Wallingford, pp 11–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowden J (1976) Stem borer ecology and strategy for control. Ann Appl Biol 84:107–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbett JD, Collis SN, Bush BR et al. (2001) A Where–ACT spatial information system Version 3.5.9

  • ESRI (2011) ArcGIS desktop: release 10. Environ Syst Res Inst, Redlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Gepts P (2004) Who owns biodiversity and how should the owners be compensated? Plant Physio 134:1295–1307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gounou S, Schulthess F (2004) Spatial distribution of lepidopterous stem borers on indigenous host plants in West Africa and its implications for sampling schemes. Afr Entomol 12:171–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Goux E (2006) Caractérisation des habitats sauvages et cultivés des insectes ravageurs des cultures de maïs (Zea mays L.) des localities de Mtito Andei et Suam, au Kenya. Mémoire de D.E.S.S., Université de Paris XII VAL de MARNE, Paris, p 59

  • Guihéneuf Y (2004) Characterisation of wild and cultivated habitat in two ecological areas in Kenya. Mémoire de D.E.S.S., Université de Paris XII, Paris 52 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Holloway JD (1998) Noctuidae. In: Polaszek A (ed) African cereal stem borers: economic importance, taxonomy, natural enemies and control. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 79–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingram WR (1958) The lepidopterous stalk borers associated with graminae in Uganda. Bull Entomol Res 49:367–383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juma G (2010) Basis of host plant recognition and acceptance by Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae. PhD Thesis, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya, 166p

  • Kokwaro JO (1988) Conservation status of the Kakamega forest in Kenya: the easternmost relic of the equatorial rain forests of Africa. Monogr Syst Bot Missouri Bot Gard 25:471–489

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Bierregaard RO (1997) Tropical forest remnants: ecology, management and conservation of fragmented communities. University of Chicago press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Ru BP, Ong’amo GO, Moyal P et al (2006a) Geographic distribution and host plant ranges of East African noctuid stem borers. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France Nouvelle série 42:353–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Ru BP, Ong’amo GO, Moyal P et al (2006b) Diversity of lepidopteran stem borers in eastern Africa revisited. Bull Entomol Res 96:555–563

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE (1988) Ecological diversity and its measurement. Princeton university press, Princeton, p 179

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mailafiya DM, Le Ru BP, Kairu EW, Calatayud P-A, Dupas S (2009) Species diversity of lepidopteran stem borer parasitoids in cultivated and natural habitats in Kenya. J Appl Ent 133:416–429

    Google Scholar 

  • Matama-Kauma T, Schulthess F, Le Ru BP et al (2008) Abundance and diversity of lepidopteran stem borers and their parasitoids on selected wild grasses in Uganda. Crop Prot 27:505–513

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAleece N (1997) Biodiversity professional beta version. The natural history museum and scottish association for marine science, London

    Google Scholar 

  • McNaughton SJ, Tarrants JL, McNaughton MM, Davis RH (1985) Silica as a defense against herbivory and a growth promoter in African grasses. Ecology 66:528–535

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ndemah R, Schulthess F, Le Ru B, Bame I (2007) Lepidopteran cereal stem borers and associated natural enemies on maize and wild grass hosts in Cameroon. J Appl Entomol 131:658–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nye IWR (1960) The insect pests of graminaceous crops in East Africa. Coloni Res Stud 31:1–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Ong’amo G, Le Ru B, Dupas S et al (2006) Distribution, pest status and agro-climatic preferences of lepidopteran stem borers of maize in Kenya. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 42:171–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Onyango FO, Ochieng’ Odero JPR (1994) Continuous rearing of the maize stem borer Busseola fusca on an artificial diet. Entomol Exp Appl 73:139–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otieno NA, Le Ru BP, Ong’amo GO et al (2008) Diversity and abundance of wild host plants of lepidopteran stem borers in two agro-ecological zones of Kenya. Int J Biodiversity Sci Manag 4:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Overholt WA, Ochieng JO, Lammers PM, Ogedah K (1994) Rearing and field release methods for Cotesia flavipes (Cameron Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a parasitoid of tropical gramineous stemborers. Insect Sci Appl 15:253–259

    Google Scholar 

  • Overholt WA, Maes KVN, Goebel FR (2001) Field guide to stem borer larvae of maize, sorghum and sugarcane in Eastern and Southern Africa. ICIPE Science Press, Nairobi 31 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Polaszek A, Khan ZR (1998) Host plants. In: Polaszek A (ed) African cereal stem borers: economic importance, taxonomy, natural enemies and control. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 4–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Price ARG (1982) Echinoderms of Saudi Arabia. Comparison between echinoderm faunas of Arabian Gulf, SE Arabia, Red Sea and Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez. Fauna Saudi Arab 4:3–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Setamou M, Schulthess F, Bosque-Perez NA, Thomas-Odjo A (1993) Effect of plant nitrogen and silica on the bionomics of Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Bull Entomol Res 83:405–411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Summerville KS, Crist TO (2001) Effects of experimental habitat fragmentation on patch use by butterflies and skippers (Lepidoptera). Ecology 82:1360–1370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tams WHT (1932) New species of African Heterocera. Entomologist 65:1241–1249

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster R, Oliver MA (1990) Statistical methods in soil and land resource survey. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 43–47

    Google Scholar 

  • White F (1983) The vegetation of Africa, a descriptive memoir to accompany the UNESCO/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa UNESCO. Nat Resour Res 20:1–356

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (1999) Biostatistical analysis, 4th edn. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, pp 40–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou G, Overholt WA, Mochiah MB (2002) Changes in the distribution of lepidopteran maize stem borers in Kenya from 1950’s to 1990’s. Insect Sci Appl 21:395–402

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the technical assistance offered by L. Ngala, B. Musyoka and A. Kibe of Noctuid Stem Borer Biodiversity ICIPE –Nairobi, Kenya) during both field collection and rearing of collected materials. Funds for this survey were provided by Institut de Recherche pour le Développement through Biodiversité et évolution des complexes plantes-insectes ravageurs-antagonistes research unit budget (IRD - UR 072).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya

    G. O. Ong’amo

  2. Unité de Recherche IRD 072, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P. O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya

    G. O. Ong’amo, B. P. Le Ru & P.-A. Calatayud

  3. Unité de Recherche IRD 072, CNRS, Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, UPR 9034, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, 91198, France

    B. P. Le Ru, P.-A. Calatayud & J.-F. Silvain

  4. France et Université Paris-Sud 11, 91405, Orsay cedex, France

    B. P. Le Ru, P.-A. Calatayud & J.-F. Silvain

Authors
  1. G. O. Ong’amo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B. P. Le Ru
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P.-A. Calatayud
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J.-F. Silvain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. O. Ong’amo.

Additional information

Handling Editors: Jonathan Lundgren and Heikki Hokkanen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ong’amo, G.O., Le Ru, B.P., Calatayud, PA. et al. Composition of stem borer communities in selected vegetation mosaics in Kenya. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 7, 267–275 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-012-9241-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-012-9241-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation