Lepidopteran stemborers (Chilo zacconius Bleszynski, Chilo diffusilineus de Joannis and Maliarpha separatella Ragonot) and diopsid flies (Diopsis spp.) are economically significant insect pests of rice in Burkina Faso. The objective of this study was to monitor damage trends and the pre-imaginal populations of these insects on two host plants, cultivated (Oryza sativa L.) and wild rice (Oryza longistaminata Chev and Roehr). The study was conducted over four consecutive rice crop seasons from 1999 to 2001 in three irrigated rice-growing locations in western Burkina Faso. Sampling of cultivated rice was conducted monthly in 1 m2 quadrates in 100 randomly selected farmers' fields. Data on wild rice were collected monthly from each of the three locations using 500 tillers that were plucked at random and dissected. Results showed that in the absence of a rice crop lepidopteran stemborers and diopsid flies are able to survive on O. longistaminata, which can host the pre-imaginal populations of these insects throughout the year. Damage caused on cultivated rice varied across farmers' fields, seasons and phenological stages of the plants. With 8% the highest average extent of ‘whiteheads’ was recorded during the dry season. These results are important elements in the design of a sustainable management strategy for these insect pests.

Flood depth has been frequently used to explain the distribution of plant species in seasonally flooded grasslands, but its relation with vegetation production has remained ambiguous. The relationship between flooding and above-ground biomass at the end of the flooding season and during the dry season was studied to assess the impact of reflooding on the Logone floodplain, Cameroon. Above-ground biomass of a combination of all species and of the individual perennial grasses Oryza longistaminata and Echinochloa pyramidalis showed a positive linear relationship with maximum flood depth up to 1 m. The gradient of these relationships became steeper and their fit better during the 2 y following the installation of the flooding, showing the response lag to floodplain rehabilitation. Flood duration only explained the above-ground biomass of the combination of all species and not of the individual species. Above-ground biomass data from other floodplains in the three main African geographic regions showed a similar relationship with maximum flood depth less than 1 m. Dry-season regrowth, important because of its high nutrient quality during forage scarcity, was not directly related to maximum flood depth, possibly because of its dependency on the period of burning and soil moisture. Presented data indicate that a rise of water level of 1 cm corresponds to an increase in above-ground biomass of c. 150 kg DM ha−1.

The African rice gall midge Orseolia oryzivora is a major pest of rice in Burkina Faso. The present study was carried out during four consecutive crop seasons from 1999 to 2001, in three rice-irrigated schemes, near Bobo Dioulasso town in south Burkina Faso. The fluctuation of immature stages of the pest and their damage, with regard to host plants was monitored. These included the cultivated rice Oryza sativa and its ratoons, and wild rice Oryza longistaminata. Sampling on growing rice was carried out monthly in 1m2 quadrats, in each of 100 randomly selected farmers fields. Sampling on rice ratoons was carried out after rice harvest and 500 tillers were randomly selected in the same fields and taken to the laboratory for dissection. Data on wild rice were collected every month by sampling and dissecting 500 tillers per site. This study revealed that in the absence of rice, the pest survived on rice ratoons and wild rice. However, cultivated rice was the preferred host plant as the crop recorded over 15% galling during wet seasons while damage was very low in dry seasons. Results from this study represent an important step towards the development of an IPM programme to control the rice gall midge, with regard to its host plant relationships.