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Impact of a Habitat Management System on Diversity and Abundance of Maize Stemborer Predators in Western Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

Charles A. O. Midega  and
Zeyaur R. Khan
Charles A. O. Midega
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology P. O. Box 30772–00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Zeyaur R. Khan
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology P. O. Box 30772–00100 Nairobi, Kenya
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Abstract

Studies were conducted in farmer's field, Lambwe School of the Deaf, and Mbita Point Field Station of ICIPE (ICIPE-Mbita) in western Kenya during the long rains of 2001 and 2002 to assess the impact of a diversionary stemborer management strategy on the pest's predators. Treatments consisted of a maize monocrop (control) and an intercrop of maize and desmodium, Desmodium uncinatum Jacq., with Napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach), as trap crop around the field (‘push-pull’) in the farmer's field and Lambwe School of the Deaf. Sudan grass, Sorghum vulgare sudanense (Pers.), was used in place of Napier on the station. A combination of sticky traps, direct observation and hand-collection methods were employed. Predator groups encountered included 12 families from 7 insect orders and 4 families from one arachnid order, with most of the foregoing represented in both maize monocrop and ‘push-pull’ plots. A Cheilomenes sp. and Chrysopa sp. were, however, recovered from ‘push-pull’ plots only. Ants, earwigs and spiders were the main predators encountered. Both overall and individual group populations of these predators as well as ant diversity were significantly higher in ‘push-pull’ than monocrop plots in all the sites during the vegetative, flowering and mature maize growth stages (P < 0.05, t-test). The results thus indicate a numerical enhancement of stemborer predators by use of this habitat management system.

Résumé

Des expérimentations ont été conduites dans des parcelles paysannes, à l'école des sourds de Lambwe et sur la station de recherche de l'ICIPE-Mbita Point, situées à l'Ouest du Kenya, pendant la grande saison des pluies de 2001 et de 2002, afin d'évaluer l'impact de diverses stratégies de gestion des lépidoptères foreurs sur leurs prédateurs. Les traitements consistent en une culture de maïs seul (témoin) et en une culture associée de maïs et de desmodium, Desmodium uncinatum Jacq., à laquelle on associe du pennisetum Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach) comme plante piège autour de la culture (‘push-pull’) dans les parcelles paysannes et à l'école de Lambwe. L'herbe du Soudan, Sorghum vulgare sudanense (Pers.), remplace le pennisetum sur la station de l'ICIPE. Diverses méthodes d'observation ont été utilisées consistent en des pièges englués, des observations directes et des récoltes manuelles. Les prédateurs rencontrés comprennent 12 families appartenant à 7 ordres d'insectes et 4 families appartenant à 4 ordres d'arachnides, présents aussi bien dans les cultures de maïfs seul que dans les cultures associées (‘push-pull’). Les espèces Cheilomenes sp. et Chrysopa sp. n'ont toutefois été retrouvées que dans les cultures associées. Les fourmis, les perce-oreilles et les araignées sont les principaux prédateurs rencontrés dans les parcelles. Aussi bien le nombre total que les effectifs de chacun de ces groupes de prédateurs, ainsi que la diversité des fourmis sont significativement plus élevés dans les cultures associées que dans les cultures de maïs seul, danstous les sites étudiés, pendant les phases végétatives, de floraison et de maturation du maïs (P < 0.05, t-test). Les résultats montrent que l'utilisation de ce système de gestion des cultures (‘push-pull’) permet d'augmenter le nombre de prédateurs des foreurs.

Keywords

habitat management‘push-pull’stemborerpredatorsabundancebiodiversityantsgestion de l'habitat‘push-pull’foreurabondancebiodiversité
Type
Research Articles
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , December 2003 , pp. 301 - 308
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 2003

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