Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T04:26:55.188Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Natural enemies of lepidopterous borers on maize and elephant grass in the forest zone of Cameroon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

R. Ndemah ,
F. Schulthess ,
M. Poehling ,
C. Borgemeister  and
G. Goergen
R. Ndemah
Affiliation:
Institut de la Recherche Agronomique et de Développment, PB 2067, Messa, Yaoundé, Cameroon
F. Schulthess*
Affiliation:
Plant Health Management Division, Biological Control Center for Africa, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cotonou, Republic of Benin
M. Poehling
Affiliation:
Institute of Plant Diseases and Plant Protection, Herrenhaeuser Str. 2, 30419 Hanover, Germany
C. Borgemeister
Affiliation:
Institute of Plant Diseases and Plant Protection, Herrenhaeuser Str. 2, 30419 Hanover, Germany
G. Goergen
Affiliation:
Plant Health Management Division, Biological Control Center for Africa, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cotonou, Republic of Benin
*
*Fax: 00229 35 05 56 E-mail: F. [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The importance, geographical and temporal distributions of parasitoids of lepidopterous borers on maize and elephant grass, Pennisetum purpureum, were assessed during surveys in farmers’ fields in six villages and two on-station trials in the forest zone of Cameroon between 1995 and 1996. The borer species encountered were Busseola fusca (Fuller), Sesamia calamistis Hampson, Eldana saccharina Walker on both host plants, and Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot on maize only. Busseola fusca was the predominant host accounting for 44–57% and 96% on maize and elephant grass, respectively, followed by E. saccharina on maize with 27–39%. Fifteen hymenopterous, two dipterous and one fungal species were found on these stem and cob-borers. Among those were six pupal, six larval, four egg, one larval–pupal parasitoid and four hyperparasitoids. The scelionid parasitoids Telenomus busseolae Gahan and T. isis Polaszek were found on B. fusca eggs in all locations. During the first season, mean egg parasitism was low and ranged between 3.1% and 27% versus 54–87% during the second season. Species belonging to the Tetrastichus atriclavus Waterston complex were recovered from all four borer species. The majority and most common larval and pupal parasitoid species belonged to the ingress-and-sting guild.Larval and pupal parasitism were very erratic and on more than 50% of the sampling occasions no parasitoids were recovered. Parasitoid diversity was higher on elephant grass than maize.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 91 , Issue 3 , June 2001 , pp. 205 - 212
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adeyemi, S.A.O. (1969) The survival of stem borer population in maize stubble. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Nigeria 2, 16–22.Google Scholar
Bosque-Pérez, N.A., Ubeku, J.A. & Polaszek, A. (1994) Survey for parasites of Sesamia calamistis (Lep.: Noctuidae) and Eldana saccharina (Lep.: Pyralidae) in southwestern Nigeria. Entomophaga 39, 367–376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boucek, Z. (1988) Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera). A biosystematic revision of genera of 14 families, with a reclassification of species. 832 pp. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Cardwell, K.F., Schulthess, F., Ndemah, R. & Ngoko, Z. (1997) A systems approach to assess crop health and maize yield losses due to pests and diseases in Cameroon. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 65, 33–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carl, K.P. (1982) Biological control of native pests by introduced natural enemies. Biocontrol News and Information 3, 191–100.Google Scholar
Cock, M.J.W. (1986) Requirements for biological control: an ecological perspective. Biocontrol News and Information 7, 7–16.Google Scholar
Conlong, D.E. (1990) A study of pest-parasitoid relationships in natural habitats: an aid towards the biological control of Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in sugarcane. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association 64, 111–115.Google Scholar
Conlong, D.E. (2000) Indigenous African parasitoids of Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technology Association 74 (in press).Google Scholar
Ehler, L.E. (1979) Utility of facultative secondary parasites in biological control. Environmental Entomology 8, 829–832.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gounou, S. S., Schulthess, F., Shanower, T., Hammond, W.N.O., Braima, H., Cudjoe, A.R., Adjakloe, R., Antwi, K.K. & Olaleye, I. (1994) Stem and ear borers of maize in Ghana. Plant Health Management Research Monograph No. 4. 23 pp. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Hailemichael, Y., Schulthess, F., Smith, J.W. & Overholt, W.A. (1997) Suitability of West African gramineous stemborers for the development of Cotesia species. Insect Science and its Application 17, 89–95.Google Scholar
Ingram, W.R. (1958) The lepidopterous stalk borers associated with Graminae in Uganda. Bulletin of Entomological Research 49, 367–383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingram, W.R. (1983) Biological control of graminaceous stemborers and legume pod-borers. Insect Science and its Application 4, 205–209.Google Scholar
Jerath, M.L. (1968) Parasites of sugarcane stemborers in Nigeria. Journal of Economic Entomology 61, 435–436.Google Scholar
Jordan, F.J. (1966) Report on an investigation into the presence and prevalence of rice stem-borers and their parasites in Sierra Leone, 1964–1965. 47 pp. West African Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines.Google Scholar
Kajita, H. & Drake, E.F. (1969) Biology of Apanteles chilonis and A. flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), parasites of Chilo suppressalis. Mushi 42, 163–179.Google Scholar
Kfir, R. (1992) Selecting parasites for biological control of lepidopterous stalk borers in summer grain crops in South Africa. Redia 74, 231–236.Google Scholar
Kfir, R. (1995) Parasitoids of the African stemborer, Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in South Africa. Bulletin of Entomological Research 85, 369–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kfir, R. & Bell, R. (1993) Intraseasonal changes in populations of the African maize stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in Natal, South Africa. Revue de Zoologie Africaine 107, 543–553.Google Scholar
May, R.M. & Hassell, M.P. (1981) The dynamics of multiparasitoid–host interactions. American Naturalist 117, 234–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohyuddin, A.I. (1971) Comparative biology and ecology of Apanteles flavipes (Cam.) and A. sesamiae Cam. as parasites of graminaceous borers. Bulletin of Entomological Research 61, 33–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohyuddin, A.I. (1991) Utilization of natural enemies for the control of insect pests of sugar-cane. Insect Science and its Application 12, 19–26.Google Scholar
Mohyuddin, A.I. & Greathead, D.J. (1970) An annotated list of the parasites of graminaceous stemborers in east Africa, with a discussion of their potential in biological control. Entomophaga 15, 241–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohyuddin, A.I., Inayatullah, C. & King, E.G. (1981) Host selection and strain occurrence in Apanteles flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and its bearing on biological control of graminaceous stem borers (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 71, 575–581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moyal, P. (1988) Les foreurs du maïs en zone des savanes de Côte-d'Ivoire. Données morphologiques, biologiques, écologiques. Essais de lutte et relation plante-insecte. 368 pp. ORSTOM, collection ‘Etudes et Thèses’, Paris.Google Scholar
Moyal, P. (1998) Infestation patterns and parasitism of the maize stalk borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in the Ivory Coast. African Entomology 6, 289–296.Google Scholar
Ndemah, R. (1999) Towards developing an integrated crop pest management strategy for the African stalk borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in maize systems in Cameroon. 136 pp. PhD thesis, Hannover University, Faculty of Horticulture, Institute of Plant Diseases and Plant Protection, Germany.Google Scholar
Nonveiller, G. (1984) Catalogue des insectes au Cameroun d'intérêt agricole. 210 pp. Institut pour la Protection des Plantes, Mémoires XV, Beograd.Google Scholar
Overholt, W.A., Ngi-Song, A.J., Omwega, C.O., Kimani-Njogu, S.W., Mbapila, J., Sallam, M.N. & Ofomata, V. (1997) A review of the introduction and establishment of Cotesia flavipes Cameron in East Africa biological control of cereal stemborers. Insect Science and its Application 17, 79–88.Google Scholar
Phiri, G.S.N. (1995) Interaction of the spotted stem borer Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) with some alternative hosts and its larval parasitoid Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron) in Malawi. 347 pp. PhD thesis, University of Reading, UK.Google Scholar
Polaszek, A. (1998) African cereal stemborers; economic importance, taxonomy, natural enemies and control. 530 pp. CAB International in association with the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA).Google Scholar
Polaszek, A., Ubeku, J.A. & Bosque-Pérez, N.A. (1993) Taxonomy of the Telenomus busseolae species complex (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) egg parasitoids of cereal stemborers (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Pyralidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 83, 221–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potting, R.P.J., Vet, L.E.M. & Dicke, M. (1995) Host microhabitat location by the stemborer parasitoid Cotesia flavipes: the role of locally and systemically induced plant volatiles. Journal of Chemical Ecology 21, 525–539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rao, V.P. (1965) Natural enemies of rice stem-borers and allied species in various parts of the world and possibilities of their use in biological control of rice stem-borers in Asia. Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control and Technology Bulletin 6, 1–68.Google Scholar
Schulthess, F., Bosque-Pérez, N.A., Chabi-Olaye, A., Gounou, S., Ndemah, R. & Goergen, G. (1997) Exchange of natural enemies of lepidopteran cereal stemborers between African regions. Insect Science and its Application 17, 97–108.Google Scholar
Sekloka, S. (1996) Contribution a l'étude bioécologique de Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) sur Zea mays L. et les plantes hôtes alternatives. Mémoires Ingenieur Agronom, Université National du Benin, Benin.Google Scholar
Sétamou, M. & Schulthess, F. (1995) The influence of egg parasitoids belonging to the Telenomus busseolae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) species complex on Sesamia calamistis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) populations in maize fields in southern Benin. Biocontrol Science and Technology 5, 69–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sétamou, M. (1999) Ecology and management of Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot (Lepidoptera:Pyralidae), a cob borer of maize in West Africa. 131 pp. PhD thesis, Universityof Hanover, Germany.Google Scholar
Shanower, T., Schulthess, F. & Gounou, S. (1991) Distribution and abundance of some stem and cob borers in Benin. 18 pp. Plant Health Management Research Monograph No. 4. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Shanower, T.G., Schulthess, F. & Bosque-Pérez, N.A. (1993) The effect of larval diet on the growth and development of Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Insect Science and its Application 14, 681–685.Google Scholar
Smith, J.W., Wiedenmann, R.N. & Overholt, W.A. (1993) Parasites of lepidopteran stemborers of tropical gramineous plants. 89 pp. Nairobi, Kenya, ICIPE Science Press.Google Scholar
Van Leerdam, M.B., Smith, J.W. & Fuchs, T.W. (1985) Frassmediated, host finding behaviour of Cotesia flavipes, a braconid parasite of Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Annuals of the Entomological Society of America. 78, 647–650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weseloh, R.M., Wallner, W.E. & Hoy, M.A. (1979) Possible deleterious effects of releasing Anastatus kashmirensis, a facultative hyperparasite of the gypsy moth. Environmental Entomology 8, 174–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar