Abstract
A study was carried out on the attack of termites in three cassava plots located in the zone of Daloa (town in the center-west of the Côte d’Ivoire). The main objective of this study was to ensure a sustainable productivity of cassava in the Daloa region by controlling termite’s pests of cassava crops according to the phenological stage, namely: the plot of cassava at the small stalk stage, the plot at the tuber production stage and the plot at the harvest stage. To this end, systematic excavations were carried out in the sections along the transects and plant-by-plant sampling in order to inventory the different species of termites on the plots and to highlight the damage they cause. This made it possible to identify 4 species of termites: Odontotermes sp., Macrotermes bellicosus, Pseudacanthotermes militaris and Nasutitermes latifrons, of which 1 species is common to all three environments. The comparative analysis of the different study environments showed that the plots at the production stage and at the harvest stage are the most colonized by termites. Odontotermes sp. observed only in plots at the small stage, as well as Nasutitermes latifrons which are only present on the plot at the production stage. Pseudacanthotermes militaris are best represented on all three plots.
Highlights
Cassava is a perennial shrub in the Euphorbiaceae family
The specific richness of termites varied according to the phenological stage of the cassava plots (Table 1)
This study revealed that among the four (4) species of termite encountered in the three cassava plots surveyed, only 1 species (Pseudacanthotermes militaris) is common to the three plots
Summary
Cassava is a perennial shrub in the Euphorbiaceae family. Since its importance in Côte d'Ivoire during colonization, cassava and its derivatives have played a key role in the Ivorian economy and in the country's food security (FAO, [1]). Despite numerous efforts to provide information, education, communication and awareness at the regional and national level, the production of this food remains insufficient This insufficiency results in part from abiotic factors (climates, soils) and biotic factors such as crop enemies (Roy-noël [2]; Theberge [3]; Foua-Bi, [4]; Sere, [5]; Cissé [6]). Despite the many control methods used in Africa, it was contacted that the damage still persists and that crop losses are worsening each year This situation results from the fact that no satisfactory method of phytosanitary protection has so Corresponding author: N’Guessan Lucie YEBOUE Improvement and Agricultural Production Laboratory, UFR Agroforestry, Jean Lorougnon Guédé University, BP 150 Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire
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