English

Getahun Debelo Daniel,Degaga Getu

doi:10.5897/ajar2014.9283

Abstract

A high density of epigeal termite mounds is common in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia (CRVE). A survey of farmers’ perceptions of termites was conducted in the CRVE using semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews with farmers for documenting their knowledge about termites, identification of termite types, crops and crop growth stage susceptible to termites, perception of the role of termites, estimate of potential yield loss to the major crops, and termite management practices in field crops among others. A field survey was also conducted on maize and haricot beans on farmers’ fields to assess termite damage. Farmers were knowledgeable about the existence of termites. However, they could not identify different types of termite (species). Farmers mentioned the existence of 19 different pre-harvest crop pests and 69% of them mentioned that termites are among the most important pests in their farming system after porcupine. Farmers considered termites as of no benefit to human nutrition and mound soil as fertilizer, but they acknowledged termites for the mound soil used in house construction. Maize and haricot beans were the major crops grown in the area and most of the farmers (87%) considered the crops as the most susceptible to termite damage and they estimated potential pre-harvest yield loss as 18.02 ± 2.67 and 10.58 ± 1.91 kg (mean ± SE) per hectare, respectively. Farmers complained about termite mounds as they reduce farmlands and stand as obstacle for ox cultivation. All the farmers reported that damage to the crops occurs from maturity stage onwards and this was also confirmed in the field survey. Lodging of maize plants recorded in the surveyed fields ranged between 3 and 33% which was mainly due to Macrotermes and Microtermes. Although the majority of farmers considered termites as pests, only few (9%) of them managed termites using cultural control practices such as removing lodged maize and prompt harvesting. The study has shown that farmers viewed termites as pests of crops at maturity stage. Key words: Central Rift Valley, knowledge, maize, perception, termite, yield loss.

Highlights

A distinct dichotomy exits between the pest management literature that depicts termites as “pests” and the ecological literature demonstrating their crucial role in ecosystem services (Sileshi et al, 2009)
Maize and haricot beans were the major crops grown in the area and most of the farmers (87%) considered the crops as the most susceptible to termite damage and they estimated potential pre-harvest yield loss as 18.02 ± 2.67 and 10.58 ± 1.91 kg per hectare, respectively
The questionnaires had focused on identification of termite types, major crops grown in the area, farmers’ perceptions of the benefits of termite mound soil and termites and detrimental roles of termites

Summary

Introduction

A distinct dichotomy exits between the pest management literature that depicts termites as “pests” and the ecological literature demonstrating their crucial role in ecosystem services (Sileshi et al, 2009). Key role as decomposers of organic matter, nutrient cycling, and soil structure improvement in savannah as well as in subtropical and tropical ecosystems (Wood and Sands, 1978; Ackerman et al, 2009; Ayuke, 2010). Despite the potential beneficial role of termites, of the over 2800 described species, about 10% of these have been recorded as pests of crops, forestry, housing structures, and rangelands (Wood and Sands, 1978; Borer et al, 1981; Logan et al, 1990; Munthali et al, 1999; Culliney and Grace, 2000; Ackerman et al, 2009; Sileshi et al, 2009). Not all timber, crops and trees are susceptible, and their resistance may vary with time or stage of growth (Pearce, 1997)

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