Soil Conditions in Oviposition Sites of Zonocerus variegatus (L.) in Cassava Plots in a Sub-Humid Tropical Environment

Abstract

The temperature, pH, moisture, carbon and nitrogen contents of soils at oviposition sites of Zonocerus variegatus (L.) (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) located around cassava farms at Aiyepe, southwestern Nigeria, were compared with those of soils at non-oviposition sites (control) during different months. Although oviposition site soils did not differ in particle composition from control soils, their temperatures were, generally, significantly lower. Soils at oviposition sites lost significantly less organic carbon to oxidation and nitrogen to leaching. They also contained significantly more moisture than soils at control sites during February–April when oviposition occurred and newly deposited eggs, lacking the serosal cuticle, would be prone to desiccation in dry soils. Conditions at oviposition sites are a key factor in the selection of egg deposition by gravid Z. variegatus.