Socio-economic study of rice-fish farming in the region of upper Sassandra (Côte d'Ivoire)

This study aims to assess the socio-economic impact of rice-fish farming in the Haut Sassandra region. To this end, a survey was conducted in five villages in the sub-prefecture of Bédiala between April and July 2020 using a questionnaire. The method of collecting data and other information consisted of direct interviews with the leaders of the Bédiala fish farmers’ association (DEHIZEA), producers and fishmongers. The information thus obtained was supplemented by direct observations in the field. On the basis of the data collected on rice-fish farmers from DEHIZEA officials, 60 (or 30 %) rice-fish farms were selected out of 202 farms with effective fish farming activity in the areas concerned. The selection was made jointly with DEHIZEA officials using the simple random sampling method. The XLStat 2016 program was used to process the quantitative data. The results show that 63.3 % of rice-fish farmers are farmers and have been practicing the activity for more than 5 years. The sale of fish is the main activity of 80% of fishmongers. In 86.7 % of cases, rice bran constitutes the food distributed to the fish. The fish production of 40% of the rice-fish farmers is between 0.5 and 1.5 tonnes. Concerning rice production, 43% of rice-fish farmers produce between 500 and 1200 kg and 31% produce between 500 and 900 kg. On the other hand, all the rice-farmers have a production of less than 6 tonnes/year. They sell this production between 500 and 1000 CFA francs/kg, which gives an annual income of less than 5 million CFA francs. Ninety-seven percent of the producers are satisfied with the financial contribution of the system.Keywords: Rice-fish culture, Socio-economic, Upper Sassandra, Côte d’Ivoir

Preliminary data on the feeding habits of the endemic species

In the implementation of programs for protection and management of ichthyofauna, endemic species should have high priority in the conservation measures. Their fishery should be based on intimate knowledge of their ecology and biology. Feeding habits of the endemic Mochokid Synodontis koensis were assessed in the Sassandra River (Côte d’Ivoire) in relation to the study zone, the specimen sex and size, and the season. Of the 303 stomachs examined, 49 were empty (16%). The fluctuation of the vacuity index indicated that S. koensis feeds more at night. The diet consisted mainly of plant detritus and chironomid larvae. The statistical analysis of the feeding according to the study zones, the sex of fish and the seasons does not show any significant difference between regimes, whereas significant ontogenic shifts in diet were observed

Detection and identification of the coconut lethal yellowing phytoplasma in weeds growing in coconut farms in C\uf4te d\u2019Ivoire

Coconut farms located in the southern coast of Grand-Lahou in C\uf4te d\u2019Ivoire are severely affected by a lethal yellowing disease (CILY) associated with the group 16SrXXII-B, \u2018Candidatus Phytoplasma palmicola\u2019-related strains. Given the high prevalence of weed species on most of the farms, plants growing within and in the periphery of five selected coconut farms were assessed for the presence of the CILY phytoplasma to identify potential alternative hosts. A total of 396 plant samples belonging to 84 plant species and 35 botanical families were collected. Total DNA was extracted and tested by nested PCR with primers targeting the 16S rRNA and the translocation protein (secA) phytoplasma genes, and sequenced. Twenty samples from six plant species and five botanical families yielded PCR amplicons of the expected size, and both the secA and 16S rDNA sequences showed over 99% similarity with that of the C\uf4te d\u2019Ivoire lethal yellowing phytoplasma previously identified from coconut palms grown in Grand-Lahou coconut farms. Plant species from the families Poaceae (Paspalum vaginatum, Pennisetum pedicillatum), Verbenaceae (Stachytarpheta indica), Plantaginaceae (Scoparia dulcis), Phyllanthaceae (Phyllantus muellerianus) and Cyperacea (Diplacrum capitatum) were positive for the presence of the CILY phytoplasma, suggesting they may have epidemiological implications for disease spread in coconut farms in Grand-Lahou