Ecologically sustainable technologies for management of highland banana pests in East and Central Africa (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 2004
Smallholder farmers' banana orchards in Western Uganda were used to study the spatio-temporal factors influencing the distribution of banana weevils and parasitic nematodes in tissue culture and non-tissue culture banana types using Nested case control design. Nematodes were extracted from randomly collected composite banana root samples from 20 banana orchards. The banana weevils were trapped in the rainy and dry seasons. A total of 1,280 banana genets were surveyed to determine weevil and nematode densities. Interactions between season and locations with high banana weevils and nematodes densities significantly negatively influenced the distribution of tissue culture and non-tissue culture banana in space and time. Both tissue culture and conventional bananas are prone to banana weevil and nematode infestations. Infestation with weevils and nematodes were higher for tissue culture banana in the dry season. Kiruhura district had a higher density for banana weevils (Cosmopolites sordidus [germar]) while Ibanda district had higher nematode densities. Helicotylenchus multicinctus and Radopholus similis were found most prevalent. This knowledge is not only important in shaping the adoption and sustenance of the adopted banana types, but also can form a basis for developing affordable strategies to lower the occurrence of banana weevil and nematodes below the threshold level in smallholder banana farms of Uganda.
Journal of Ecology and The Natural Environment, 2019
Smallholder farmers' banana orchards in Western Uganda were used to study the spatio-temporal factors influencing the distribution of banana weevils and parasitic nematodes in tissue culture and non-tissue culture banana types using Nested case control design. Nematodes were extracted from randomly collected composite banana root samples from 20 banana orchards. The banana weevils were trapped in the rainy and dry seasons. A total of 1,280 banana genets were surveyed to determine weevil and nematode densities. Interactions between season and locations with high banana weevils and nematodes densities significantly negatively influenced the distribution of tissue culture and non-tissue culture banana in space and time. Both tissue culture and conventional bananas are prone to banana weevil and nematode infestations. Infestation with weevils and nematodes were higher for tissue culture banana in the dry season. Kiruhura district had a higher density for banana weevils (Cosmopolites sordidus [germar]) while Ibanda district had higher nematode densities. Helicotylenchus multicinctus and Radopholus similis were found most prevalent. This knowledge is not only important in shaping the adoption and sustenance of the adopted banana types, but also can form a basis for developing affordable strategies to lower the occurrence of banana weevil and nematodes below the threshold level in smallholder banana farms of Uganda.
Response of banana cultivars to banana weevil attack
Uganda Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2000
East African Highland Bananas (EAHB) ( Musa AAA, 'Matooke' group) are a major staple food in the East African region. However, banana weevil (Cosmopolites sorllidus) is a major production constraint to bananas and may cause damage levels of up to 100%. Pesticides can effectively control banana weevil but these are unaffordable by resource poor farmers, besides being environmentally unfriendly. The use of resistant cultivars therefore, may be a safer longterm intervention strategy for banana weevil control. An experiment was conducted to screen all the Musa germ plasm found in Uganda for response to banana weevil, and evaluate levels of susceptibility. Weevil damage levels indicating both peripheral and inner damage were scored at ha rvest and used in two multivariate analyses. Cluster analysis grouped the cultivars into three significantly different groups; resistant, intermediate and susceptible. Most of the East African Highland 'Matooke' cultivars were more homog...
Integrated Pest Management Reviews, 2001
The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) is the most important insect pest of bananas and plantains (Musa spp.). The larvae bore in the corm, reducing nutrient uptake and weakening the stability of the plant. Attack in newly planted banana stands can lead to crop failure. In established fields, weevil damage can result in reduced bunch weights, mat die-out and shortened stand life. Damage and yield losses tend to increase with time. This paper reviews the research on the taxonomy, distribution, biology, pest status, sampling methods, and integrated pest management (IPM) of banana weevil. Salient features of the weevil's biology include nocturnal activity, long life span, limited mobility, low fecundity, and slow population growth. The adults are free living and most often associated with banana mats and cut residues. They are attracted to their hosts by volatiles, especially following damage to the plant corm. Males produce an aggregation pheromone that is attractive to both sexes. Eggs are laid in the corm or lower pseudostem. The immature stages are all passed within the host plant, mostly in the corm. The weevil's biology creates sampling problems and makes its control difficult. Most commonly, weevils are monitored by trapping adults, mark and recapture methods and damage assessment to harvested or dead plants. Weevil pest status and control options reflect the type of banana being grown and the production system. Plantains and highland bananas are more susceptible to the weevil than dessert or brewing bananas. Banana production systems range from kitchen gardens and small, low-input stands to large-scale export plantations. IPM options for banana weevils include habitat management (cultural controls), biological control, host plant resistance, botanicals, and (in some cases) chemical control. Cultural controls have been widely recommended but data demonstrating their efficacy are limited. The most important are clean planting material in new stands, crop sanitation (especially destruction of residues), agronomic methods to improve plant vigour and tolerance to weevil attack and, possibly, trapping. Tissue culture plantlets, where available, assure the farmer with weevil-free material. Suckers may be cleaned by paring, hot water treatment and/or the applications of entomopathogens, neem, or pesticides. None of these methods assure elimination of weevils. Adult weevils may also invade from nearby plantations. As a result, the benefits of clean planting material may be limited to a few crop cycles. Field surveys suggest that reduced weevil populations may be associated with high levels of crop sanitation, yet definitive studies on residue management and weevil pest status are wanting. Trapping of adult weevils with pseudostem or corm traps can reduce weevil populations, but material and labour requirements may be beyond the resources of many farmers. The use of enhanced trapping with pheromones and kairomones is currently under study. A combination of clean planting material, sanitation, and trapping is likely to provide at least partial control of banana weevil. Classical biological control of banana weevil, using natural enemies from Asia, has so far been unsuccessful. Most known arthropod natural enemies are opportunistic, generalist predators with limited efficacy. Myrmicine ants have been reported to help control the weevil in Cuba, but their effects elsewhere are unknown. Microbial control, using entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes tend to be more promising. Effective strains of microbial agents are known but economic mass production and delivery systems need further development.
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 2005
Crop sanitation (removal and chopping of residue corms and pseudostems following plant harvest) has been recommended as a 'best bet' means of reducing banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), populations. However, it has been unclear when such practices should be carried out and what types of residues should be destroyed. Therefore, trials were conducted in Uganda to determine C. sordidus distribution, timing of attack, and oviposition on crop residues and growing plants. Assessments were performed in on-station trials on different aged standing and prostrate residues by destructive sampling. Similar data were collected from farmers' fields maintained at low, moderate, and high levels of sanitation. In the on-station trial, oviposition occurred on up to 120day-old residues, although most occurred within 30 days of harvest. In a second on-station experiment, oviposition on standing residues was not significantly affected by residue age. By contrast, oviposition on prostrate residues was two times higher on 4-week-old than on 2-week-old residues, while the number of larvae on 8-week-old residues was three times higher than on 2-week-old residues. The number of adults was twice as high on 16-week-old residues as that on 2-week-old residues for both prostrate and standing residues. Farmers' fields maintained at high sanitation had 50% fewer eggs per residue than farms with low sanitation levels. In general, the number of immatures per residue was 50% higher on banana corms than on pseudostems. Numbers of larvae per residue were three times more abundant at low than at high sanitation levels. Residues in fields with high sanitation supported 50% fewer adults than residues in low sanitation fields. The results suggest that removal and splitting of corms after harvest is effective and practical in destroying immature growth stages of the pest and that such practices should be carried out soon after harvest.
Integrated management of the banana weevil in Uganda. Final Technical Report
2004
This publication is an output from a research project funded by the United Kingdom ersity of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading. RG6 6A " Department for International Development for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of DFID R7972 Crop Protection Programme."
Use of crop sanitation for the management of the banana weevil in Uganda
Uganda Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2004
Removal and destruction of banana crop residues after harvest has been widely recommended for the control of banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus control. However, there is scanty information of the actual effect of this practice on the banana weevil populations and damage. This study aimed at investigating the effect of crop sanitation on the population dynamics of this pest and its associated damage. Laboratory and field studies were conducted in Uganda to study the biology and ecology of this pest on crop residues. We found that corms are the most attractive of all residues parts. Fresh residues were most attractive but oviposition occurred on residues up to 120 days after harvest. An on-farm study of the effect of crop sanitation on populations and corm damage was conducted through farmer participatory trials in Ntungamo district, Uganda. Increase in sanitation level from low to high significantly reduced banana weevil adult populations, lowered corm damage, increased plant maturation rates and increased yields. The data suggest that improved sanitation management can contribute to C. sordidus control and improved banana productivity.
Field Control of the Banana Weevil (Cosmopolites Sordidus ) Using Entomopathogenic Nematodes
Since the identification of 154 nematode isolates in the survey conducted in the central highlands and coastal areas of Kenya, capacity for nematode research has increased. Twelve plots each measuring 1 × 1m were randomly marked out with pegs and sisal twine on each site in a completely randomised block design with 3 replicates. A total of 14 weevils were introduced into each plot below 2-half split banana stems measuring about 30 cm. Plots were covered with trash and moistened with water after introduction of the weevils. The treatments of Steinernema karii at 5 million DJs, Heterorhabditis indica at 0.4 million DJs, Bulldock® 025EC at 1 ml and untreated control of plain water were then applied in 1.5 litres of distilled water suspension. All treatments were applied with a hand pump and were applied at 1800 hours to minimize the effect of UV radiation and heat on the nematodes. This trial was carried out to test the efficacy of entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema karii and Heter...
Acta Horticulturae, 2009
In the French West Indies, the productivity of export banana plantations is adversely affected by plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) including the endoparasitic species Radopholus similis (Pratylenchidae). In the last decades, control of PPNs was mainly based upon repeated applications of carbamate or organophosphate nematocides that are potentially toxic for human health and the environment. This paper describes a prophylaxis-based strategy, combining soil and plant sanitation that was developed in recent years to reduce dependence on chemical nematocides. Soil sanitation was implemented through a cleansing system based on glyphosate injection of banana plants before uprooting. In addition, as a decision support tool, soil cleansing assessment biotests were developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the method before planting new banana crops. Crops were initiated using tissue culturederived plants of 'Grande Naine' (AAA, Cavendish subgroup). In association with soil sanitation, this resulted in a reduction of 60% in nematocide use. The plant sanitation system is being modified by i) selecting R. similis non-host rotational crops, such as perennial soybean (Neonotonia wightii), siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum) and forage grasses like Digitaria decumbens and Brachiaria humidicola, ii) exploiting the existing variation in susceptibility to R. similis within Cavendish clones, and iii) identifying R. similis-resistant or weakly susceptible clones among improved banana hybrids developed by the CIRAD breeding programme. New initiatives to further enhance the PPN control method are also discussed. They include the promotion of techniques designed for improving management of crop residues, the identification of nematotoxic plants showing allelopathic effects against R. similis and the benefits from the preservation of soil biodiversity in banana cropping systems. Most of these approaches are being carried out in the framework of a European Commission-funded network of excellence known as ENDURE.