Project
IPM Strategies for Peanut Insects in Semi-Arid Tropical (SAT) Africa
Details
Project Code:
GA/IM/BF
Start Date:
1982
End Date:
1987
CRSP Phase:
Phase 1
Budget:
$330,963
Countries:
Burkina Faso
Participants
Lead University:
University of Georgia
Other Partners:
University of Ouagadougou, Institute Superior Polytechnique
Principal Investigator(s):
Robert E. Lynch (US); Albert Patoin Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso)
Co-Principal Investigator(s):
None
Overview
This project sought to define the major arthropod pests of groundnut in Semi-Arid Tropical (SAT) Africa, determination of yield losses due to depredation by arthropods, and the development of management strategies within the socio-economic restraints of SAT Africa to reduce losses to arthropods to help in the stabilization of crop production in-the area. SAT areas of Africa contain vast areas of arable land suitable for crop production. Nevertheless, large fluctuations in crop production often lead to inadequate food supplies in SAT Africa, and, when inadequate production occurs for several years in a row, eventually leads to severe famine as recently occurred in Ethiopia. Thus, it can easily be seen that stability in crop production is one of the greatest challenges for the SAT countries of Africa. In the wake of ever increasing populations, stability in crop production must be the first priority for this region of the world. While, inadequate or no uniform rainfall during the major growing season is probably the major contributing factor in the instability of crop production in SAT Africa. Insect pests and/or insect-borne diseases must also be considered major restraints since they often account for one-third of the total losses in crop production in SAT Africa.
Objectives
1. Identify the major economic pests of peanut. 2. Determine the relationship between level and type of arthropod damage with aflatoxin contamination in both pre-harvest and postharvest peanut. 3. Develop economic injury levels for the major arthropod pests by quantifying pest density with peanut yield. 4. Develop reliable sampling procedures to estimate population densities of the major pests. 5. Determine arthropod abundance as related to peanut growing season and developmental phenology. 6. Provide training opportunities for Burkina Faso students. 7. Develop bait attractants or other control strategies for major insect pests. 8. Evaluate promising breeding lines developed by the Breeding CRSP for resistance-susceptibility to major arthropod pests
Outcomes
Seven major research objectives were addressed in the 1986 groundnut research in Burkina Faso. These included: 1) Determination of the influence of two seedbed preparations indigenous to Burkina Faso agriculture on arthropod abundance and damage to groundnuts; 2) Evaluation of advanced U.S. germplasm in comparison to local varieties for insect susceptibility; 3) Determination of yield losses due to insects via control of certain groups of insects with insecticides;4) Determination of the effects of groundnut harvest date on termite and millipede damage and aflatoxin contamination; 5) Evaluation of international groundnut varieties with known insect resistance for insect damage in Burkina Faso and Georgia; 6) Completion of the survey to determine the major arthropods associated with groundnut production in Burkina Faso, and 7) Determination of the relationship between insect damage and aflatoxin contamination in groundnut.
