Abstract
Early and late crops of flint, pop and sweet maize (Zea mays L.) were sown in field plots laid in randomized complete block design at the Teaching and Research Farm in 2004. Stem borer infestation and damage were assessed both in the plots treated with 1.5 kg carbofuran/ha and in those not treated for stem borer control. The maize types, as subplot treatments, and carbofuran application vs no application, as main plot treatments, were replicated four times. Borer damage was quantified as percentage dead-heart, bored stems, lodged stems, bored internodes, and as numbers of borer larvae/stem and borer cavities. The damage parameters were correlated with each other and with yield. Busseola fusca Fuller was the most abundant species; borer infestation was 5 times higher in the late than in the early crop and application of carbofuran resulted in 86.8 and 63.5 % control, respectively. Yield loss due to borer damage to the early crop was 14.0%; that for the late crop was 1.5-fold higher. In both crops, maize type exerted no significant effect (P>0.05) on borer damage. Percentage bored internodes was positively and significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with number of bored stems (r = 0.95, early crop; 0.88, late crop), and lodged stems (r = 0.82, early crop; 0.83, late crop). Similarly, bored and lodged stems were positively correlated (r =0.75 and 0.74, respectively in the early and late crop; P < 0.01). Dead-heart was positively correlated with each stem damage parameter; coefficients of correlation were higher for the early than the late crop. All damage parameters were negatively correlated with yield but a robust yield loss predictive model was not found. As such, use of carbofuran against maize stem borers would continue to be prophylactic at Makurdi.
Highlights
In Nigeria, and in most of Sub-Saharan Africa, maize [Zea mays L. (Poaceae)] derives socio-economic importance from its value as staple food item, animal feed, agro-industrial and trade item, thereby growing the economy and alleviating poverty (Effa et al, 2012; Farid et al, 2007; Tena and Beyene, 2011)
In this paper we report findings from a study on the interrelationships among stem borer infestation, damage and yield of earlyand late-sown maize at Makurdi in the Nigerian Southern Guinea Savanna
Severity of stem borer infestation and damage have been shown to vary with borer species, borer generation, infestation level, plant growth stage, varietal resistance, season, agro-ecology, and weather (Bosque-Perez, 1995; Ajayi and Labe, 1990; Polaszek, 1998)
Summary
In Nigeria, and in most of Sub-Saharan Africa, maize [Zea mays L. (Poaceae)] derives socio-economic importance from its value as staple food item (contributing to household food security), animal feed, agro-industrial and trade item, thereby growing the economy and alleviating poverty (Effa et al, 2012; Farid et al, 2007; Tena and Beyene, 2011). Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer of maize (IITA, 2013); production traverses diverse agro-ecological zones (from the rainforest to the Northern Guinea Savanna), and cropping systems prevalently small-scale, rain-fed and polycultural (Undie et al, 2012).The annually increasing rate of output (Fig. 1) is largely attributable to expansion of hectarage cultivated (Badmus and Ariyo, 2011). The consequence on yield is variable (negligible to total crop loss) depending upon location, season, sowing date, borer species composition, level of abundance, varietal susceptibility, and plant-pest interaction as mediated by the climatic, edaphic and biotic environment (Ajala et al, 2010; Kekule et al, 1997; Okweche et al, 2010; Sosan and Daramola, 1999; Ukeh et al, 2007;)
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