Identification of edible short- and long-horned grasshoppers and their host plants in East Africa

This study adopted morphological and molecular analysis to identify edible grasshoppers and their associated food host plants in Kenya and Uganda. Host plants were identified through molecular analysis of the gut contents of the grasshoppers. Grasshoppers are among the most popular edible insects in East Africa. As an alternative protein, they contribute to improved nutrition and food security, livelihoods, and employment. The study provides a detailed breakdown of morphometric data and species identification factors along with sequencing, identification and phylogenetic analysis of plant and insect DNA.Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)Netherlands Organization for Scientific ResearchWOTRO Science for Global Development (NWO-WOTRO)Bioresources Innovations Network for Eastern Africa Development (BioInnovate Africa)Rockefeller FoundationAustralian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR

Incidences and spatial distribution of stem borers in rice crop in Kahama district

Studies were carried out to establish the role and significance of rice stem borers as pests in rice crop in Kahama District from November, 2013 to May, 2014. Twenty rice fields in four wards of Kahama District were surveyed to assess the presence of larvae and adult moths. Each field was divided into four strata within which four quadrats were established in each. In each quadrat, the damaged rice tillers (dead heart), damaged panicles (white head) and total number of tillers and panicles were counted. Stem borer incidences were computed from observations for each of the studied rice varieties and with reference to the sowing dates. Stem borer larvae were extracted from each of the damaged tiller and counted to establish stem borer dispersion. Moths were trapped by a black light trap cascaded with normal light attached to a white cloth and collected in vials for further identification in the laboratory. Dispersion was determined by three indices i.e. Morisista’s index, Taylor power law and Iwao’s mean crowding regression. Statistical packages (GenStat 15 edition VSN international) and (SPSS 16 version IBM Corporation) were used for data analysis of abundance and incidences respectively. Results indicated that the most abundant species was Chilo partellus (48.6%) followed by Maliarpha separatalla (35.4%) and lastly Sesamia calamists (16.1%). Dispersion indices suggested that borers were highly aggregated along the edges of rice fields compared to the middle of fields. Behenge and Supa varieties were more susceptible to stem borer damage than Kalamata and Mayobhe. The best sowing date with minimum stem borer damage was from 1 to 20, December. The current study has for the first time confirmed the presence and significance of rice stem borers in the lake zone ofiii Tanzania that calls for intensive intervention program to ensure farmers of continued food security and livelihood.East Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (EAAPP

Incidences and spatial distribution of stem borers in rice crop in Kahama district

Studies were carried out to establish the role and significance of rice stem borers as pests in rice crop in Kahama District from November, 2013 to May, 2014. Twenty rice fields in four wards of Kahama District were surveyed to assess the presence of larvae and adult moths. Each field was divided into four strata within which four quadrats were established in each. In each quadrat, the damaged rice tillers (dead heart), damaged panicles (white head) and total number of tillers and panicles were counted. Stem borer incidences were computed from observations for each of the studied rice varieties and with reference to the sowing dates. Stem borer larvae were extracted from each of the damaged tiller and counted to establish stem borer dispersion. Moths were trapped by a black light trap cascaded with normal light attached to a white cloth and collected in vials for further identification in the laboratory. Dispersion was determined by three indices i.e. Morisista’s index, Taylor power law and Iwao’s mean crowding regression. Statistical packages (GenStat 15 edition VSN international) and (SPSS 16 version IBM Corporation) were used for data analysis of abundance and incidences respectively. Results indicated that the most abundant species was Chilo partellus (48.6%) followed by Maliarpha separatalla (35.4%) and lastly Sesamia calamists (16.1%). Dispersion indices suggested that borers were highly aggregated along the edges of rice fields compared to the middle of fields. Behenge and Supa varieties were more susceptible to stem borer damage than Kalamata and Mayobhe. The best sowing date with minimum stem borer damage was from 1 to 20, December. The current study has for the first time confirmed the presence and significance of rice stem borers in the lake zone ofiii Tanzania that calls for intensive intervention program to ensure farmers of continued food security and livelihood.East Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (EAAPP

Identification and virulence screening of fungal and bacterial entomophathogens of the edible long-horned grasshopper Ruspolia differens (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Uganda

Natural enemies are major challenges in laboratory rearing of grasshoppers, but the identity and virulence of these towards the edible long-horned grasshopper Ruspolia differens (Serville) is scarcely known. In this study, fungi and bacteria were isolated from R. differens collected from Mbarara, Masaka, Hoima, Kampala and Kabale districts in Uganda in 2018, cultured on standard microbial media, identified using molecular techniques and screened for virulence against the insect in laboratory bioassays. Fourteen and nine species of fungi and bacteria were isolated from R. differens, respectively, with the number of isolates varying based on collection site. The most prevalent entomopathogenic fungal species were Aspergillus flavus Link (27.3%), Fusarium equiseti (Corda) (24.2%), Mucor fragilis Fresen (12.1%), Clonostachys rosea (Link) (6.0%) and Aspergillus tamarii Kita (6.0%); whereas the most prevalent bacterial isolates were Serratia marcescens Bizio (38.1%), Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (14.3%) and Enterobacter cloacae (Jordan) (14.3%). Nine of the fungal species namely Clavispora lusitaniae Rodrigues de Miranda, Lichtheimia corymbifera (Cohn), Trichoderma koningii Oudem, F. equiseti, M. fragilis, Aspergillus niger van Tieghem, Epicoccum sorghinum (Saccardo), C. rosea, Penicillium commune Charles Thom; and five bacterial species (Proteus penneri Hickman, S. marcescens, B. thuringiensis, Staphylococcus sciuri Kloos and Enterococcus faecalis (Andrewes and Horder)) were ~5–7-fold and ~4–5-fold, more lethal to third instars of R. differens than untreated controls, respectively. This study is the first to report C. lusitaniae, Exserohilum mcginnis Padhye and Ajello, E. sorghinum, P. penneri and E. cloacae as insect pathogens. The results suggest a need to quarantine field collected R. differens before introducing them into the insectary, as well as performing antimicrobial practices during rearing of the insect to prevent entomopathogen-based mortality.