[Distribution of the soil arthropods attacks on groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) in Burkina Faso] | Distribution des attaques des arthropodes terricoles sur l'arachide (Arachis hypogea L.) au Burkina Faso
1998
Dicko, I.O. | Dao, B. (Universite de Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)) | Traore, S. | Traore, D.
Studies were conducted in five districts of Burkina Faso, West Africa from November to December, 1996. The objectives aimed at establishing spatial distribution and quantify the level of damages on peanut pods by soil arthropods, termites and millepedes. Twenty seven samples of 100 pods each were taken from farmers' stocks in each district, which made a total of 135 pod samples examined. Damage was determined in each district by counting pods scarified by termites and pods perforated by millepedes and converting obtained numbers in percents. Results show that termites and millepedes cause damages throughout the five districts, with termites causing damages, as high as 30-40/ in some districts, compared to damages caused by millepedes which rarely exceeded 3/. While damage degrees by termites were found to vary with districts, distribution of millepede damages was fairly uniform throughout the study area. The observed differential distribution of termite damages is thought to be due to farmers growing susceptible varieties in eastern districts, varieties such as Te3, proven to be highly susceptible to termites. Neither peanut pod weight, nor grain weight was significantly correlated with damages by termites and millepedes. However, it is highly likely that damages by the two soil arthropods increase grain contamination by the known carcinogenic substance, aflatoxin, by allowing pod penetration and grain invasion by the aflatoxin-producing fungus, Aspergillus sp. This suggests that there is an urgent need for efficient control methods to be developed and applied, not only to reduce peanut yield loss, but also to help preserve human health. One of these methods could be the use by local farmers of resistant varieties which have been shown by several authors to be efficient against termites and millepedes. Such varieties include Ncac 2243 and Ncac 343
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