The role of wild grasses in the management of lepidopterous stem-borers on maize in the humid tropics of western Africa

2002 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 507-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ndemah ◽  
S. Gounou ◽  
F. Schulthess

AbstractSites in the humid forest of Cameroon and the derived savanna of Benin were selected to evaluate the effect of planting border rows of wild host plants on lepidopterous stem-borer infestations and on maize yield. Grass species were chosen that in surveys and greenhouse trials were highly attractive to ovipositing female moths but with offspring mortality of close to 100%, thus acting as trap plants. In Cameroon, elephant grass Pennisetum purpureum Moench significantly lowered infestations of Busseola fusca (Fuller), Sesamia calamistis Hampson and Eldana saccharina Walker and increased yields of maize though the differences were not significant during all three cropping seasons. In 1998 in Benin, the only grass tested, Pennisetum polystachion L., significantly increased parasitism of mainly S. calamistis eggs by Telenomus spp. and larvae by Cotesia sesamiae Cameron and reduced numbers of the cob-borer Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot. In 1999, three grass species; P. polystachion, Sorghum arundinaceum (Desv.) Stapf and Panicum maximum Jacq. were tested. Panicum maximum was the most efficient species for suppressing S. calamistis and M. nigrivenella infestations and enhancing egg and larval parasitism. In the Benin trials, with the exception of M. nigrivenella damage to cobs, the grass species tested had no beneficial effect on yield because pest densities were too low and also rodent damage to maize was enhanced with grasses in the vicinity of the crop. By contrast, stand losses due to Fusarium verticillioides Sacc. (Nirenberg), were significantly reduced by border rows of grasses.

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2240 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONIO C. LOFEGO ◽  
PETERSON R. DEMITE ◽  
RAQUEL G. KISHIMOTO ◽  
GILBERTO J. DE MORAES

Surveys were conduced in 16 sites in the State of São Paulo to evaluate the phytoseid mite fauna on some of the most common grass species in that State: Brachiaria decumbens Stapf., Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf, Brachiaria ruziziensis R. Germ & C.V. Evrard, Melinis minutiflora Beauv., Panicum maximum Jacq. and Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. Twenty known species and one new species (Proprioseiopsis biologicus Lofego, Demite & Moraes sp. nov.) were found. Two species are reported for the first time in the American continent: Neoseiulus benjamini Schicha and Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) neobakeri Prasad . Seven of the species collected have been reported in Brazil from different crops. The largest number of specimens and of species of phytoseiids was found on M. minutiflora. The results of this study indicate that grasses may play a role in agroecosystems and pasture lands, serving as reservoirs of phytoseiids that prey upon mite pests.


1990 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.A. Bosque-Pérez ◽  
J.H. Mareck

AbstractThe distribution and species composition of lepidopterous maize borers was studied in six locations in southern Nigeria during the second planting season (August-November) of 1985 and 1986. Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Noctuidae) and Eldana saccharina Walker (Pyralidae) were the stem borers most abundantly found in the locations sampled. S. calamistis was the dominant species up to eight weeks after planting in all locations. E. saccharina was the most abundant species from nine weeks after planting onwards, except at Umuahia where S. calamistis always comprised over 50% of the borer population. Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot (Pyralidae) was found attacking maize ears in all locations, while Busseola fusca Fuller (Noctuidae) was found only at Idah and Alabata, and even there constituted only a small proportion of the population. Other borer species found were Coniesta (= Acigona) ignefusalis (Hampson) (Pyralidae) and Cryptophlebia species (Olethreutidae).


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Diana Sawen ◽  
Merlyn N. Lekitoo ◽  
Martha Kayadoe ◽  
Onesimus Yoku ◽  
M. Djunaedi

Forage is a ruminant animal basal feed, where sufficient and continuous availability and good quality must be a priority. Place to growth or location, also determine the existence and production of forage including grass species in this study. This study aims to determine how much the production of elephant grass, panicum and cetaria on salinity differences. The study was conducted for 4 months, in Kompleks Perumahan dosen UNIPA Amban in Manokwari West Papua. The study was designed with a split plot design in to Completely Randomize design (CRD) 4x3 with 4 replications. As the main plot is grass species and the subplot is salinity based on growing media. Factor I is grass species (Sp) consisting of: Pennisetum purpureum (Sp1), Panicum maximum (Sp2) and Setaria spacelata (Sp3) and then Factor II is growing media (M) consisting of: soil 100% (M0), soil 70% + 30% of sand (M1), soil 50% + 50% of sand (M2) and soil 30% + 70% of sand (M3). Statistical analysis shows that the effect of salinity is significant (P<0.05) on plant growth variable, namely fresh matter production, dry matter production and stem leaf ratio. Planting media M1 (soil 70% + sand 30%) perform the best result, and species that is responsive to salinity is Panicum maximum (Sp2).


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
E M Aregheore ◽  
T A Steglar ◽  
J W Ng'ambi

Some grasses, Buffalo (Panicum Coloratum), Guinea (Panicum maximum), Setaria (Setaria sphacelata), Embu (Panicum maxum), Elephant (Pennisetum Purpureum), Koronivia (Brachiaria humidicola), and Signal (Brachiaria decumben); and legumes/browses Gliricidia sepium, Glycine wightii, Green desmodium and Leucaena leucocephala grazed by beef cattle in Vanuatu were characterized for crude protein (CP), fibre fractions, macro and micro minerals (phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc) and energy. Also in vitro digestibility study was carried out to predict the utilization of available nutrients. Data obtained were discussed in light of whether available nutrients would satisfy requirements of grazing beef cattle of different age and physiological function. The CP of grass and legume/browse species ranged from 7.9-17.8% and 10.5-23.9% respectively. L. leucocephala has a higher CP while Green leaf desmodium had the lowest CP content. DM and NDF were higher (P<0.05) in the grasses while CP was higher in the legume/browse species. Organic matter (OM) within and between the grass and legume/browse species varied. Mean concentrations of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in the grass species was 5.7 g/kg DM and 2.6 g/kg DM, respectively and this resulted in an average Ca:P ratio of 2.2:1 for the grasses while the legume /browse species had Ca:P ratio of 5.3:1. Ca was low while K was high in the grasses compared to the legume/browse species. Among the microminerals Cu was critically low in both the grass and legume/browse species. In vitro DMD, OMD and CPD between and within the grass and legume/browse species were not significantly different (P>0.05) from each other, however NDFD and ADFD were higher (P<0.05) in the grasses than in the legumes/browses. In conclusion, the results of these analyses and the in vitro digestibility study have provided information on nutrients that are adequate and/or inadequate in the grass and legume/browse species components grazed to sustain beef cattle production in Vanuatu. The very low concentration of Cu in both the grass and legume/browse species therefore demonstrates the need to supplement grazing beef cattle with mineral lick blocks to overcome its deficiency.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-224
Author(s):  
F. O. Olubajo ◽  
V. A. Oyenuga

The yield, intake and animal production of four grass species namely: Cynodon nlemfuensis var. robustus, Pennisetum purpureum Schum; Cynodon nlemfuensis var nlemfuensis (Ib8) and Panicum Maximum Jacq., designated as treatments M, N, P, and respectively, were studied over a period of 1,226 days. Each treatment was grazed at three stages of growth - at four, six and eight week intervals. Total dry matter yields for the experimental period ranged from approximately 22 tons for treatment N grazed at intervals of four weeks to 65 tons for treatment Q grazed at eight week intervals. The mean daily dry matter yield varied between approximately 18 kg for treatment N to 53 kg for treatment Q grazed at four and eight week intervals respectively. With the exception of treatment N, dry matter intake by sheep per kg of metabolic size per day decreased with increased maturity and ranged from 43 kg in treatment N to 86 kg in treatment P grazed every four weeks. Treatment means of liveweight increases of grazing White Fulani (Zebu) steers were 392 g, 360 g, 337 g and 226 g per head per day for treatments Q, N,P and M respectively. Though the protein content of the pastures was high enough even in the dry season to maintain the grazing animals, dry matter production and intake were usually very low. 


2002 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Schulthess ◽  
K. F. Cardwell ◽  
S. Gounou

A series of experiments were conducted to test the effect of the presence of Fusarium verticillioides in the maize plant on subsequent infestation by coleopteran and lepidopteran pests. The effect of percent internodes 1 to 5 infected with F. verticillioides, time after planting, and maize variety on attacks of stem and ears by lepidopterous and coleopteran pests was assessed in field experiments in early and late season 1998 and early season 1999 in Benin Republic. Artificial inoculation of the first internode with fungal-treated toothpicks was compared with a hot-water-fungicide seed treatment and a control. In 1998, two varieties that differed in husk tightness, the improved DMRLSR-W and the local Gbogbe, were used. Percentage of node 1 to 5 and plants infected was highest with the inoculation treatment but tended to be similar in the seed treatment and the control. The infection rate tended to increase with time and, within sampling date, decreased with node level. Ear infection was strongly correlated with percent infected nodes, indicating that F. verticillioides in the stem predisposed kernel infection. F. verticillioides incidence was higher in Gbogbe than in DMRLSR-W. Stem and ear infestations by the pyralid Eldana saccharina, the major pest in the area, tended to be highest in inoculation and lowest in the protection treatment. The same trends were found for the pyralid Chilo spp., the tortricid Cryptophlebia leucotreta, and beetles pooled across species. Significant positive correlations were found between ear/stem F. verticillioides infection and E. saccharina, Cryptophlebia leucotreta, Mussidia nigrivenella, and the noctuid Sesamia calamistis, but the latter three pest species were only significantly correlated with fungal infection of the upper nodes of the plant. Similar to disease incidence, E. saccharina numbers in stem and ear were higher in Gbogbe than DMRLSR-W in late 1998, whereas for the pyralid ear feeder M. nigrivenella, it was reversed. It was suggested that some lepidopterous and coleopteran pests are attracted by and survive longer (or have lower mortality) on plants infected with F. verticillioides.


2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Juma ◽  
P.O. Ahuya ◽  
G. Ong'amo ◽  
B. Le Ru ◽  
G. Magoma ◽  
...  

AbstractThe noctuid stem borer Busseola fusca is an important pest of maize and sorghum in Sub-Saharan Africa. The presence of this species occurred mostly on cultivated than on wild habitats. Busseola fusca is oligophagous having a narrow range of a wild grass species. This might be due, in part, to differences in silicon (Si) content in plant tissues between cultivated and wild grasses. In the present study, we have tested this hypothesis by studying the survival and the relative growth rate (RGR) expressed as daily weight gains of B. fusca larvae on maize and six wild host plants, mostly present in the natural habitat where B. fusca occurred, and correlated with their Si contents. Survival and RGR of B. fusca larvae were considerably higher on maize and wild sorghum than on the other grass species, and they were negatively related to plant Si content. This was corroborated with results on RGR from artificial diets amended with increasing levels of Si. In addition, if Si was added to maize growing substrate B. fusca larval growth was significantly reduced confirming the involvement of Si in B. fusca larvae – Poaceae interactions. The results provide insight into the possible mechanisms of oligophagy of B. fusca and provide a correlative support for a physical role of plant endogenous Si in impeding feeding of B. fusca larvae.


1969 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-198
Author(s):  
J. A. Arroyo-Aguilú ◽  
S. Tessema ◽  
R. E. McDowell ◽  
P. J. Van Soest ◽  
A. Ramírez ◽  
...  

Samples from five tropical grass species: Guinea (Panicum maximum), Pangola (Digitaria decumbens), Congo (Brachiaria ruziziensis), Merker (Pennisetum purpureum), and Star (Cynodon nlemfuensis), were harvested during nine weeks at ages from 7 to 63 days in southwestern Puerto Rico. The grasses were fertilized at the rate of 4480 kg/ha per year with a 15-5-10 fertilizer. The crude protein content of all grasses exceeded 10 percent up through 28 days of regrowth. Grasses declined in crude protein from a mean of 18.1 percent at 7 days to 5.6 percent at 63 days. A narrower range was observed between grasses from 42 to 63 days. The five tropical grasses possessed high contents of structural carbohydrates, principally cellulose and lignin, which increased with age, except in Pangola grass. Silica did not change uniformly with age in any of the grasses while hemicellulose was characterized by marked fluctuations. Digestibility values were lower at all stages of growth than in temperate forages of similar ages. Cellulose was negatively correlated with in vitro digestibility in all grasses except Pangola. Lignin appeared to be the predominant factor in determining digestibility. The relationship of silica to digestibility varied between species, being positive in some (Guinea and Congo) and negative in others (Star, Pangola, and Merker). The grasses may be ranked as follows with regard to their chemical composition and digestibility: Merker > Congo > Star > Guinea > Pangola. Pangola grass, though lowest in in vitro digestibility, declined least with advancing age, thus maintaining a more constant quality for a longer period of time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-158
Author(s):  
F. O. Olubajo

Four grass species namely: Cynodon nlemfuensis var robustus (M); Pennisetum purpureum Schum (N); Cynodon nlemfuensis var nlemfuensis (P); and Panicum maximum Jacq. (Q), each between the 4th and 5th, 6th and 7th, and 8th and 9th week of regrowth, was cut in the fourth and fifth years of grazing for hay (i. e. in 1972 and 1973). Digestion trials with West African dwarf sheep showed that there were significant differences in the extent to which the dry matter of the different grass species was digested (P 0.001) and among the stages of growth (P 0.01). The differences between animals within and between treatments and the interactions between treatments and periods of cutting were statistically not significant. The differences among treatment means indicated that treatment Q (68.5 ± 2.73%) was digested better than treatment M (54.9 ± 7.18%, P 0.001), and treatments N and P (60.3 ± 5.37% and 58.7 ± 5.30% P 0.01) respectively. The digestibility of crude protein was generally low in each of the grass specie studied. This is probably a reflection of the low crude protein content of the grass hays which was below 9 percent of dry matter. It ranged from approximately 27.3 percent in treatment N for the 6th week regrowth hay to 51.9 percent in treatment Q for the hay harvested in the 8th week of regrowth. The differences among treatments, stage of maturity, and the interactions between treatments and stage of cutting were not statistically significant. Significant differences between treatments were observed in the digestion of the energy content of the feeds (P 0.001). Treatments N and Q were better digested than M and P (P 0.05). Expressed on metabolic size basis, the intakes of dry matter, crude protein, and energy showed significant differences between treatments and between ages at harvest. The intakes of dry matter in treatments Q, M, and P were significantly higher (P 0.05) than treatment N while there was more dry matter taken from the 4th and 8th week hays than from the hays made from the species harvested in the 6th week of regrowth (P 0.01). More crude protein was consumed per kg0.75 in treatments M, P and Q than in treatment N (P 0.01), and in treatment M than Q (P 0.05). There were higher protein intakes from hays made in the 4th and 8th than those made in 6th week of regrowth (P 0.05). Treatment Q supplied more energy per kgl. 75 than treatments M, P and N (P 0.05), while more energy was consumed per kilogramme of metabolic size in treatment P than in treatment N (P 0.05). Nutritive Value of Hay. The intake of digestible crude protein was relatively low and this probably accounted for the losses in the liveweight of the experimental animals. The results of the experiment are suggestive of the need for supplementary protein feed during the dry season if animals are to make any liveweight gains.


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