Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (2006) 42, 495-502

Komi Agboka, Saka Gounou and Manuele Tamò (2006)
The role of maize-legumes-cassava intercropping in the management of maize ear borers with special reference to Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 42 (3-4), 495-502
Abstract: The effects of intercropping maize with cowpea, lima bean, soybean, three leguminous cover crops (Tephrosia vogelii Hook F., Canavalia ensiformis L., Sesbania rostrata Bremek. and Oberm.) and cassava on the infestation of Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and other lepidopteran ear borers were studied. Field experiments were conducted in four locations in Benin using a 4x2 pattern of maize-legumes or maize-cassava planting. Intercropping reduced the number of eggs (by >25%) and larvae (by 17.9-53%) of M. nigrivenella compared with the monocrop. Maize-C. ensiformis and maize-T. vogelii proved to be the most effective combinations for reducing M. nigrivenella populations in the different locations. Grain loss and ear damage, which were significantly correlated with the number of insects in the ear, were significantly affected by the intercrops, with losses abated by 47-84% in the four sites. No parasitized larvae were found in any of the locations.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Saka Gounou, Manuele Tamò, Komi Agboka

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Mussidia nigrivenella	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	Benin