11 research outputs found
Feeding preferences of the legume pod borer Maruca vitrata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) larvae and suitability of different flower parts for larval development
Genetic variation and diversity of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.)] genotypes assessed for millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella resistance, in West Africa
Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), the
major source of minerals and dietary energy for people
living in the semi-arid regions of Sahel, is regularly
damaged by millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella.
In order to identify the plant-based resistance
sources for millet head miner along with high
grain Fe and Zn, we have screened forty pearl millet
genotypes, using an artificial infestation method.
Analysis of variance revealed significant differences
in the genotypes tested for head miner resistance. The
genotypes Gamoji, ICMP 177001, ICMP 177002,
ICMV 177003, ICMV IS 90311, LCIC9702, Souna 3,
ICMV IS 94206 and PE08043 exhibited antibiosis
resistance mechanism to Heliocheilus albipunctella
with appreciable agronomy and grain yield when
compared with the susceptible check ICMV IS 92222.
The genotypes Faringuero, ICMV 167005, ICMV IS
99001, Sadore local, SOSAT-C88, and ICMP 177004
exhibited tolerance to head miner damage with good
per se performance. The genotypes ICMP 177001,
ICMP 177002, ICMV 177003, and Moro exhibited
resistance to millet head miner and had consistent
grain Fe content across seasons (ranging from 44 to
70 ppm). Association between the head miner resistance
and morphological traits showed a positive and significant correlation of larval production index (%)
with head miner damage (r = 0.59**). Grain Fe and
Zn contents exhibited negative association with panicle
length and grain yield indicating proper care
should be taken in breeding for these traits. Hence, the
identified resistance sources can be effectively utilized
in breeding head miner resistant pearl millet OPV’s/
hybrids, with high grain yield including Fe and Zn
concentrations, to overcome the hunger and malnutrition
seen in populations living in the semi-arid tropics
Annual cycle of the legume pod borer Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in southwestern Burkina Faso
Maruca vitrata is an economically significant insect pest of cowpea in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the seasonal population patterns of M. vitrata is essential for the establishment of effective pest management strategies. M. vitrata larval populations on cultivated cowpea and adult flying activities were monitored in addition to scouting for host plants and parasitoids during 2 consecutive years in 2010 and 2011 in southwestern Burkina Faso. Our data suggest that M. vitrata populations overlapped on cultivated cowpea and alternate host plants during the rainy season. During the cowpea off-season, M. vitrata maintained a permanent population on the wild host plants Mucuna poggei and Daniella oliveri. The parasitoid fauna include three species, Phanerotoma leucobasis Kri., Braunsia kriegeri End. and Bracon sp. Implications of these finding for pest management strategies are discussed
Effects of Volatiles from StĂĄl. (Hemiptera: Coreidae) Adults on the Host Location Behavior of the Egg Parasitoid (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)
The egg parasitoid Gryon fulviventre is a potential biological control agent of Clavigralla tomentosicollis , a coreid pod-sucking pest of Vigna unguiculata . The host location behavior of naive parasitoid females was studied using a four-armed olfactometer. Two strains of G. fulviventre parasitoids from Burkina Faso and Benin were exposed to odors provided by healthy and infested pods as well as C. tomentosicollis females and males. The time spent in each odor zone was recorded to determine the preference of parasitoid females. Results show that odors from healthy pods, infested pods, and pest females did not attract the parasitoid. However, a significantly attractive response of both strains of G. fulviventre was recorded in the presence of volatiles from males of C. tomentosicollis . Moreover, experiments testing G. fulviventre females’ behavior when simultaneously exposed to volatiles from cowpea pods (healthy and infested) and increasing numbers of C. tomentosicollis males revealed a significantly higher attraction of parasitoid females of both strains by volatiles from ten males of C. tomentosicollis . The results suggest that the males of the insect pest emit a pheromone used as kairomone by parasitoids to locate their host. The conditions determining this attractiveness at field level and its impact on host-searching efficiency are discussed