Surveys were conducted in farmers' fields in Zambia during the 1987/88, 1988/89 and 1989/90 cropping seasons, to evaluate the extent of attack on maize by stalk borers and their distribution in some selected maize growing areas in three agroecological regions. Infestation levels varied from season to season. Infestations were low (0.5–13%) in the Southern province: Gwembe Valley and Livingstone in region I and Choma and Kalomo in region II. Infestation levels in other areas ranged from 21–75%. Three species of stalk borers, Busseola fusca, Chilo partellus and Sesamia calamistis were recorded. Their composition and proportion in the complex differed from place to place. C. partellus occurred at an altitude range of 350–1170m, B. fusca occurred at 1032 to >1300m above sea level. B. fusca was the most widely distributed and predominant.

Several mounds in western Kenya were excavated to examine their internal structure. The mounds and the soil beneath them were found to be densely packed with discrete chambers containing fungus combs. A simple system of passages opening to the exterior provided both access and ventilation to the interior of the nest. One nest was killed by fumigation and its contents extracted. The nest population was estimated to be 0.28 million adult steriles with a biomass of 462 g dry weight, and the total dry weight of fungus comb was 2.8 kg. These estimates are very low in comparison to nests of Macrotermes spp. that build mounds of comparable size. The ratio of fungus comb weight to adult biomass (6:1) is higher than that in Macrotermes spp., perhaps because the comb is constructed in a different way.

Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), commonly known as the cowpea seed beetle, is the most important pest of stored cowpea in tropical Africa. In rural area where preservation techniques and facilities are limited, it causes post-harvest weight and quality losses. The importance of damages which can reach 100% in a few months justifies the development of effective and appropriate control methods in the villages. All these control methods and their applications are discussed in this paper. Chemical control is inappropriate at farm level, because of its cost and hazards. The many studies conducted on varietal resistance have enabled identification of varieties that are more or less resistant to this pest; however, the varieties are often of little interest from the agronomic point of view. The incorporation of that resistance in cultivated varieties is in progress. The physical control methods are inadequate because their application requires equipment and technical knowledge which are not found in rural areas. Biological control is an attractive alternative but is still at an experimental stage. All these limitations support promotion of traditional control methods. Among them, the use of inert substances as well as indigenous plants or their by-products have given, in many cases, a satisfactory control of C. maculatus.

Sixty artificially infested grain sorghum genotypes were evaluated for resistance against Busseola fusca. Evaluation of leaf feeding damage indicated levels of resistance ranging from intermediate to susceptible. Genotypes were categorized according to the presence or absence of both antibiotic and tolerant characteristics. Genotypes (17%) exhibited both antibiosis against leaf feeding and tolerance for borer damage. Borer damage resulted in a 4% increase in grain yield of one genotype and a 50% increase in the number of heads of a second genotype. Tolerance and recovery resistance were the most important factors limiting yield loss in grain sorghum genotypes. In this study, the ability of sorghum for tillering (recovery resistance) was separated from the ability to produce heads on infested stems (tolerance). The importance of distinguishing between tolerance and recovery resistance in the evaluation of sorghum germplasm for borer resistance is emphasized.

Studies were carried out on the neonatal development of Riptortus dentipes (Fabricius) and Nezara viridula (Linnaeus) on pods of cowpea Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp (var. VITA-3) and soybean Glycine max (L.) Merrill (TG× 536–02D). Both crops sustained nymphal development and adult reproduction of R. dentipes. Nymphal duration was 20.7 days on cowpea and 21.3 days on soybean; mean adult weight was 56.3 mg (male) and 58.3 mg (female) on cowpea and 55.8 mg (male) and 57.6 mg (female) on soybean. Adults preferred soybean to cowpea for egg laying though a substantially higher number of eggs was laid on the mesh walls of the cages indicating the somewhat suboptimal nature of both plant substrates. The nymphal period for TV. viridula was 24.4 days on cowpea and 25.4 days on soybean, and the mean adult weight for males was 139.0 mg while that for females 186.0 mg on cowpea. On soybean, the mean adult weight was 127.3 mg for males and 176.9 mg for females. Soybean leaves were preferred for oviposition. The concept of host plant suitability to the various stages of these insects with respect to host switches between cowpea and soybean.

Studies were conducted to compare adult longevity, number of host eggs parasitized and temporal pattern of oviposition of four species of Trichogramma, T. brasiliensis Ashmead, T. chilonis Ishii, T. minutum Riley and T. japonicum Ashmead. Parasitoids were reared on eggs of Corcyra cephalonica St. at 27 ± 2°C and 60 ± 5% r.h. With the exception of T. chilonis, females lived longer than males. The only thelytokous species, T. brasiliensis had the highest longevity and fecundity. However, T. chilonis was observed to lay more than 50% of its eggs on its first day of emergence. Of the four species, T. japonicum exhibited the shortest longevity and lowest fecundity.

A total of 2256 germplasm accessions, 3000 advanced generation breeding lines and 150 released varieties of rice were screened under artificial infestation in the greenhouse. Among these, 15 new germplasm accessions, 50 breeding lines derived from 16 crosses and 15 released varieties were resistant. Antibiosis was the predominant resistance mechanism; antixenosis affecting oviposition was noted in 33 resistant varieties. Biochemical composition of a set of resistant varieties along with susceptible checks, revealed that nitrogen content of seven test varieties was significantly higher than that of the susceptible checks, while in other six varieties it was lower than the checks. Similarly, eight of the resistant varieties had considerably higher percentage of polyphenolic compounds in basal stem portion, but seven other cultivars showed significantly lower concentration as compared to susceptible checks. Thus, it was apparent that there was no clear trend among the resistant cultivars as a group in relation to quantitative differences of chemical components analysed.

Heterobeltiosis (relative to better parental variety) and standard heterosis (relative to standard variety) for 10 larval and cocoon quantitative traits among the hybrids between five multivotine and three bivoltine strains of silkworm, Bombyx mori L., were estimated. The results indicated that the hybrids between multivoltine females and bivoltine males gave higher heterosis than their reciprocals. Variance due to general and specific combining ability and the genetic components were also estimated. The role of gene actions governing the different traits studied is discussed.

The current phenological study in sorghum fields has shown that Busseola fusca is bivoltine in eastern Ethiopia. The first generation begins at the end of April, while early August marks the beginning of the second (Diapause) generation. The second generation passes through the dry season in stalks and stubble as diapause larvae, of which a considerable proportion survive in the stubble until the next crop. The onset of pupation of the diapause larvae is in the middle of April. A progressive increase in the mortality of the larvae of both generations is observed towards the later stages. Five hymenopterous parasitoids, Bracon sesamiae (Cameron), Cotesia (= Apanteles sensu lato) sesamiae (Cameron), Dolichogenidea (= Apanteles sensu lato) sp. near laevigatus, Pediobius furvus (Gahan) and Procerochasmias nigromaculatus (Cameron) and one dipterous parasitoid (Sarcophaga sp.), attacking larvae and pupae of B. fusca at Alemaya, eastern Ethiopia, were identified.

A series of life tables (22 generations) for the rice yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker), a major pest of rice in Bangladesh, was constructed. In a deepwater rice ecosystem, the S. incertulas population dropped to a low level in the second or third generation (May-June), then reached the annual peak level in the fifth generation during September-October. The population dropped again to the lowest level in the sixth generation (November-February) when the larvae remained in diapause for about 3 months. In general, the population suffered very high mortality (99%). The estimated egg mortality was 49%; about 96% of the hatched larvae failed to penetrate into the rice stem; 39% larvae and 27% pupae died inside the stem. The population suffered very high mortality (96 %) at the early larval stage and the resultant survivorship curve was type III. Key factor analysis revealed that the disappearance of newly hatched larvae before penetration into the rice stem was the key mortality factor responsible for population fluctuations between generations. Disappearance of young larvae and egg mortality were density-dependent, but of a weak type.

The diurnal resting sites of Glossina palpalis palpalis were studied from October 1981 to December 1982 in the human trypanosomiasis focus at Bouafle (Ivory Coast). A total of 1382 resting tsetse (970 males and 412 females), were found after 757 hr of search in their natural habitats.

At any season, over 80% of the flies were resting on lianas (Acacia pennata in particular), on coffee trees (Coffea indica) and on Eupatorium odoratum.

Almost all the flies showed a preference for resting on the underside of woody parts of plants selected. The heights of the resting sites ranged from 10 cm to 2.5 m above the ground and their diameters ranged from 0.1 cm to 8 cm. It must be stressed that both in the dry and in the rainy seasons, more than 50% of the flies rested below 50 cm from the ground and over 90% of these favoured stems and branches measuring less than 3 cm in dia.

In the vegetation surrounding villages or along the main access roads and bush pathways, G. p. palpalis were found resting at 1 m to 5 m from the edge of its vegetation habitat.

About 27% of flies were engorged or showed at least red blood meals in their guts. The catching of resting flies therefore, appears to be an excellent way of collecting fresh blood meals for identification of the natural vertebrate hosts of G. p. palpalis in the study area.

The practical interest of the study is discussed and recommendations made for the selective application of residual insecticides in the tsetse habitats to control the vectors of sleeping sickness in the Bouafle focus.

In a comparative situation, the moths Plodia interpunctella (Hubn.) and Ephestia cautella (Wlk.) caused more damage in groundnuts (41.85% for P. interpunctella; 29.21% for E. cautella) than in maize, when these commodities were stored for 1 month in plastic jars. For maize stored for 3 months in plastic and traditional storage gourds, the weight losses caused by the moths were: P. interpunctella—15.48% in jars; 4.53% in gourds; E. cautella—20.68% in jars; 4.12% in gourds. Orange peel suppressed two-thirds of the populations of P. interpunctella and E. cautella at a dosage of 20.0g/100g maize. Neem leaves caused 100% mortality of P. interpunctella at 15.0g/100g groundnut and suppressed more than half the population of E. cautella at 5g/100g groundnut. The results show that the plant materials utilised have some insecticidal properties against P. interpunctella and E. cautella over a short period.

The effects of various levels of cow manure (equivalent to 0–50 kg nitrogen/ha.) or ground limestone (equivalent to 0–5 tons calcium/ha.) on the expression of resistance of cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz to the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti Mat. Ferr., were investigated under semi-controlled conditions in the laboratory. The study was made on two varieties of cassava, Moudouma and MM79, characterized by different levels of resistance in terms of antibiosis and tolerance. The antibiotic component was evaluated by determining the intrinsic capacity for increase rc and tolerance by quantifying morphological and physiological modifications in the growth of plants induced by 2 months infestation by 100 mealybugs.

The antibiotic resistance of the two varieties was reduced by both fertilizers. However, the reduction was only significant at levels of 10 and 20 kg N/ha. and 1 and 1.51 Ca/ha. for Moudouma and MM79 respectively.

In both varieties, tolerance was increased by the addition of nitrogen and not modified by the addition of lime.

The integration of these results into traditional cassava crops systems has also been discussed.

The suitability of some plant products (leaf powders and volatile oils) in protecting cowpea seeds from attack by Callosobruchus maculatus F. during storage was evaluated at a range of 0.5–4 g powder and 0.5–30μ1 for oils. Oils of the plants studied: Lantana camara L., Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf., Eugenia uniflora L. and Lippia adoensis Hoschst. were more potent than their respective powders in reducing or inhibiting oviposition and adult emergence. Effectiveness of the oils as protectants for stored cowpea in decreasing order is: L. adoensis = C. citratus > L. camara and E. uniflora. Only the powdered leaves of E. uniflora and L. adoensis were effective in providing a high level of bruchid control. However, dressing with all the oils and powder of E. uniflora left the seeds fresh at 54 days after treatment. The significance of these findings in protecting cowpea against the storage pest is discussed.

Studies were conducted in several ecological regions of Côte d'lvoire from 1986 to 1990 to monitor maize cob-borer populations and to investigate losses in maize grain yield due to this pest. The relationship between borer abundance and crop losses was studied using regression analyses, in which two regression models were developed. One model related yield loss to number of damaged grains and the other related yield loss to grain weight. Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was the dominant pest in most localities. Its population density was particularly high in the semi-deciduous rain forest and decreased westwards and northwards. The models explained 85.6% (yield loss vs damaged grains) and 72.5% (yield loss vs loss in grain weight) of the observed variation. Moreover, they showed that the weight loss due to cob-borers was much lower than that due to stem borers and also that the number of damaged grains increased rapidly with borer density.

The effects of infestation and damage by the stalk-borer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), were studied in the field on the grain yield of the following maize cultivare: Inbred A (susceptible), ICZ2-CM (resistant) and Katumani Composite B (a commercial early maturing cultivar). Borer infestation levels (egg-population density and larval-pupal population density) and damage levels (follar damage and stalk damage) were significantly lower during the long rainy season of 1984 than 1985. On Inbred A, oviposition by the moths during the pre-flowering and flowering stages was much more important in causing a reduction in the grain yield than that during the post-flowering stage of the crop. There was no correlation with grain yield on ICZ2-CM and Katumani. The larval-pupal population density on Inbred A (but not on ICZ2-CM or Katumani), had a significant negative correlation with grain yield. Follar damage and stalk-tunnelling by the borer only affected the grain yield of Inbred A. Under artificial infestation, the grain yield of Katumani is reduced significantly by the borer attack, but under natural infestation it escapes due to its early maturity. By comparison, ICZ2-CM has inherent resistance to C. partellus and infestation and damage by the borer have no effect on grain yield.