Acacia Research Articles

First record of the genus Oodera Westwood, 1874 (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae, Cleonyminae, Ooderini) from the Arabian Peninsula, with the description of four new species.

The genus Oodera Westwood, 1874 (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae, Cleonyminae) is recorded for the first time for the Arabian Peninsula, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman. The present study is based on specimens reared from xylophagous beetle larvae of the family Buprestidae (Coleoptera) infesting dead Acacia trees from Al-Dakhiliyah and Dhofar governorates in Oman and Al-Baha, Asir and Riyadh regions in Saudi Arabia. Four new species, Oodera arabicasp. nov., O. omanensissp. nov., O. rapuzziisp. nov., and O. similissp. nov. are described, illustrated and compared with closely related Oodera species. An illustrated key and the xylophagous host records of the species are also provided.

Physical Properties of Homogeneous Particleboard based on Acacia Tree and Polyurethane Adhesive as a Resins

The formaldehyde-based adhesives have always been chosen for manufacturer in the making of particleboard because of the cost. However, it has low moisture resistance and high water absorption. At the same time, formaldehyde-based adhesive also produced gaseous emission that can cause cancer and bronchial health. Meanwhile, the high water resistance, low moisture content and healthy to the human body nowadays becomes most important issues in the making of furniture for market. This research was discusses on the ability of Acacia tree as raw material and polyurethane (PU) as an adhesive for making the homogeneous particleboard. The aim of this research is to looking the impact of using different particle sizes from Acacia tree to the physical properties of the end product. This study also focuses on the potential of paraffin wax as a water repellent agent. The testing of physical properties was includes the thickness swelling (TS) testing, moisture content (MC), density and water absorption (WA testing). The size of Acacia particle was varied from x<2mm, 4mm>x>2mm and x>4mm. All particleboards produced was achieve the range of medium density according to the Japan Industry Standard (JIS). The results have shown that the value of the density and the particle size was influenced the result especially for the physical properties. From this research it is proved that the PU as a resin and sawdust of acacia tree with some specific size can be a good binder and material for the particle board industries in future. The paraffin wax also showed a great potential as a water repellent agent based on the reduction of water absorption of the particleboard. The particleboard with sizes between 2mm to 4mm proves better results compared to the smaller or bigger sizes of particle.

Preparation of activated carbon from black wattle bark waste and its application for phenol adsorption

Black wattle bark waste is generated in large amounts by tannin extraction industries, which leads to an environmental problem. In literature there are few reports about reusing this waste, mainly in adsorption processes. An activated carbon from black wattle bark waste was produced, characterized and applied for phenol adsorption. Activated carbon was produced under different carbonization and activation conditions, being characterized and applied as an adsorbent for phenol removal from aqueous solution. The results showed that phenol adsorption capacity increased with the increase of carbonization temperature and of activating agent ratio and, decreased with the increase of carbonization time. Activated carbon presented a micro/mesoporous structure and the surface area was 414.97 m2 g−1. FTIR analysis showed that lactone and quinone groups compose the surface chemistry of the activated carbon. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model. The Weber-Morris model showed that the adsorption occurred by film and intra-particle diffusion, and the increase in stirring rate led to an increase in film diffusion. Temperature increase led to an increase in phenol adsorption capacity, and the highest value was around 98.57 mg g−1, obtained at 55 °C. The Freundlich isotherm model was the more suitable to represent the equilibrium data. Thermodynamic study indicated that phenol adsorption onto the developed activated carbon was a spontaneous, favorable, endothermic and entropy-controlled process. The activated carbon can be used in two cycles with a slight decrease in the equilibrium adsorption capacity and presented a good efficiency to remove phenolic compounds in a simulated industrial effluent.

PENDUGAAN KARBON TERSIMPAN TEGAKAN AKASIA (Acasia mangium Wild.) UMUR 10 TAHUN DI HUTAN TANAMAN INDUSTRI PT KORINTIGA HUTANI, PROVINSI KALIMANTAN TENGAH

ABSTRACT Forest role as climate stabilizer may be realized due to its ability to control world climate change caused by the rising concentrations of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of greenhouse gas with very rapid increase in its concentration. An effort has been taken to suppress the increase in CO2 is by controlling the concentration of carbon through advancement of carbon absorption program, where organic carbon as a result of photosynthesis will be stored in the biomass of forest stands or woody trees. Acacia (Acacia mangium Wild.) is one of fast growing species and is often used as a staple crop in forest plantation (HTI). The purpose of this study is to determine the potential of carbon stock by diameter class, predict carbon stocks and aerial CO2 absorption by Acacia trees in forest plantation area of PT Korintiga Hutani, Lamandau District, Central Kalimantan Province. The study was carried out in PT Korintiga Hutani plantation forest and took Acacia stands aged years as its object. Biomass measurement of Acacia stands was done indirectly using allometric formula proposed, whereas biomass of under the plant, woody and litter necromass was allegedly using the direct method. Carbon of Acacia stands, woody necromass, undergrowth and litter were determined using the formula, where 46% of biomass is carbon content. Lastly, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by Acacia stands was predicted using the formula. The results show that the average carbon stock by diameter class of Acacia stands aged 10 years are 109.66 tons/ha, respectively. Carbon stocks of undergrowth, woody necromasa and litter on the location of Acacia stands aged 10 years are 1.42 tons/ha, 0.15 tons/ha and 3.00 tons/ha, respectively. Total carbon stocks on the location of Acacia stands aged 10 years are 114.23 tons/ha. In the meantime, CO2 absorbability of Acacia stands aged 10 years amounted to 402.46 tons/ha with the rate of CO2 uptake increased by 40.25 tones/ha/year, respectively.
 Keywords: Acacia stands, carbon stock, forest plantation, carbon dioxide.

Reaction of gum arabic samples with monoclonal antibodies directed to plant cell wall polymers in dot immunobinding

Certain plant cell wall constituents have been found in gum samples derived from Acacia trees, thus analytical techniques for the determination of these plant cell wall components in any media can be applied in the analysis of the physico-chemical properties of these gums. In this experiment, gum samples harvested from various Acacia trees grown in different African countries were subjected to a dot immunobinding reaction using a panel of anti-plant cell wall directed monoclonal antibodies since the gum samples have been found to contain certain plant cell wall constituents. Five antiplant cell wall monoclonal antibodies, JIM 5, JIM 7, JIM 13, LM 6 and MAC 207 were reacted with fifteen gum Arabic samples 1 – 15 and water as control. The results showed that apart from reacting with the monoclonal antibodies, gum samples showed varying degrees of reactivity with the monoclonal antibodies. JIM 5 indicated no reaction with any of the gum samples, whereas JIM 7, JIM 13, LM 6 and MAC 207 exhibited reactions with the samples. The results suggest that, anti-plant cell wall directed monoclonal antibodies can be used as a tool to distinguish between gum Arabic samples from different tree species, as well as from different African countries. Thus, a testing kit which is easy to use and cheaper to acquire can be developed using anti-plant cell wall monoclonal antibodies, to improve quality control in the current gum trade.

Woody encroachment: Seed-seedling conflicts in neotropical savannas dominated by Acacia

Woody encroachment: Seed-seedling conflicts in neotropical savannas dominated by Acacia

Strong but opposing effects of associational resistance and susceptibility on defense phenotype in an African savanna plant

The susceptibility of plants to herbivores can be strongly influenced by the identity, morphology and palatability of neighboring plants. While the defensive traits of neighbors often determine the mechanism and strength of associational resistance and susceptibility, the effect of neighbors on plant defense phenotype remains poorly understood. We used field surveys and a prickle‐removal experiment in a semi‐arid Kenyan savanna to evaluate the efficacy of physical defenses against large mammalian herbivores in a common understory plant, Solanum campylacanthum. We then quantified the respective effects of spinescent Acacia trees and short‐statured grasses on browsing damage and prickle density in S. campylacanthum. We paired measurements of prickle density beneath and outside tree canopies with long‐term herbivore‐exclusion experiments to evaluate whether associational resistance reduced defense investment by decreasing browsing damage. Likewise, we compared defense phenotype within and outside pre‐existing and experimentally created clearings to determine whether grass neighbors increased defense investment via associational susceptibility. Removing prickles increased the frequency of browsing by ~25%, and surveys of herbivory damage on defended leaves suggested that herbivores tended to avoid prickles. As predicted, associational resistance and susceptibility had opposing effects on plant phenotype: individuals growing beneath Acacia canopies (or, analogously, within large‐herbivore exclosures) had a significantly lower proportion of their leaves browsed and produced ~ 70–80% fewer prickles than those outside refuges, whereas plants in grass‐dominated clearings were more heavily browsed and produced nearly twice as many prickles as plants outside clearings. Our results demonstrate that associational resistance and susceptibility have strong, but opposing, effects on plant defense phenotype, and that variable herbivore damage is a major source of intraspecific variation in defense phenotype in this system.

Estimating and Examining the Sensitivity of Different Vegetation Indices to Fractions of Vegetation Cover at Different Scaling Grids for Early Stage Acacia Plantation Forests Using a Fixed-Wing UAS

Understanding the information on land conditions and especially green vegetation cover is important for monitoring ecosystem dynamics. The fraction of vegetation cover (FVC) is a key variable that can be used to observe vegetation cover trends. Conventionally, satellite data are utilized to compute these variables, although computations in regions such as the tropics can limit the amount of available observation information due to frequent cloud coverage. Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) have become increasingly prominent in recent research and can remotely sense using the same methods as satellites but at a lower altitude. UASs are not limited by clouds and have a much higher resolution. This study utilizes a UAS to determine the emerging trends for FVC estimates at an industrial plantation site in Indonesia, which utilizes fast-growing Acacia trees that can rapidly change the land conditions. First, the UAS was utilized to collect high-resolution RGB imagery and multispectral images for the study area. The data were used to develop general land use/land cover (LULC) information for the site. Multispectral data were converted to various vegetation indices, and within the determined resolution grid (5, 10, 30 and 60 m), the fraction of each LULC type was analyzed for its correlation between the different vegetation indices (Vis). Finally, a simple empirical model was developed to estimate the FVC from the UAS data. The results show the correlation between the FVC (acacias) and different Vis ranging from R2 = 0.66–0.74, 0.76–0.8, 0.84–0.89 and 0.93–0.94 for 5, 10, 30 and 60 m grid resolutions, respectively. This study indicates that UAS-based FVC estimations can be used for observing fast-growing acacia trees at a fine scale resolution, which may assist current restoration programs in Indonesia.

Sangon and Acacia plant suitability for land reclamation of coal mines in PT. Karbindo Abesyapradhi Sijunjung District

The loss of the vegetation indirectly had removed the functions of the forests in regulating water system, controlling erosion and flood, absorbing carbon dioxide, supplying oxygen and controlling temperature. One of the efforts done to restore the quality of the environment around mining areas was by doing reclamation in accordance with the Regulation of Indonesian Government No. 78 Year 2010. This research applied cross-sectional design. The sample was taken in the areas vegetated. The variables studied were the chemical content of the soil (N, P, K, Ca and Mg), pH and Cation Exchange Capacity. The sample spread out in five areas reclaimed in Sungai Tambang PT Karbindo Abesyapradhi. The result of the research showed that the reclamation was done by planting sengon and acacia trees. The fertility of the soil (clay texture, acidity, Ca, Magnesium, Cation Exchange Capacity of the soil, C-Organic and N-total of the soil) in the reclaimed areas was similar. However, partially affecting both plant growth and sengon acacia tree is a cation exchange capacity and Soil Texture. It was recommended to PT Karbindo Abesyapradhi to maintain and care for reclamation has been done, because if based on the evaluation of the report on the implementation of reclamation showed reclamation does not meet the criteria of success, the Minister, the Governor, or the Regent / Mayor in accordance authority may assign a third party to conduct reclamation activities or entirely by using collateral reclamation.

Resinless Plywood Production by Using Oxidized Acacia Bark Powder as a Binder

Nowadays, the established technology in plywood industries for producing plywood is still using adhesive as veneer bonding agent. Utilization of the adhesive has several of weaknesses such as containing formaldehyde compound and using the unrenewable raw material. The purpose of this research was to develop a novel technique to produce plywood without involving adhesive as a binder. The oxidized bark powder of Acacia mangium was utilized as a binder to substitute the adhesive. Bark powder was oxidized by using hydrogen peroxide on four levels (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%) and the catalyst. The result showed that utilization of oxidized bark powder can be applied in producing resinless plywood. Unless the plywood with 15% of hydrogen peroxide, the other plywood fulfil the National Indonesian Standard (SNI) No 01-5008.2-2000 where min. 7 kg/cm2 as the requirement. The plywood with 20 percent of hydrogen peroxide has the highest bonding strength (13.24 kg/cm2). After immersing this plywood in hot water (70°C) for 2 hours and drying in the oven (60°C) for 3 hours, the wood failure test also showed a good value, namely 76.15 percent. These facts indicated that the bonding and the water resistant of the plywood were relatively high. It tends that the technology for producing resinless plywood is potential to be developed.

Assessing the Effect of Seasonality on Leaf and Canopy Spectra for the Discrimination of an Alien Tree Species, Acacia Mearnsii, From Co-Occurring Native Species Using Parametric and Nonparametric Classifiers

The tree Acacia mearnsii is native to south-eastern Australia but has become an aggressive invader in many countries. In South Africa, it is a significant threat to the conservation of biomes. Detecting and mapping its early invasion is critical. The current ground-based methods to map A. mearnsii are accurate but are neither economical nor practical. Remote sensing (RS) provides accurate and repeatable spatial information on tree species. The potential of RS technology to map A. mearnsii distributions remains poorly understood, mainly due to a lack of knowledge on the spectral properties of A. mearnsii relative to co-occurring native plants. We investigated the spectral uniqueness of A. mearnsii compared to co-occurring native plant species within the South African landscape. We explored full-range (400–2500 nm), leaf and canopy hyperspectral reflectance of the species. The spectral reflectance was collected biweekly from December 23, 2016 and May 31, 2017. We conducted a time series analysis, to assess the effect of seasonality on species discrimination. For comparison, two classification models were employed: parametric interval extended canonical variate discriminant (iECVA-DA) and nonparametric random forest discriminant classifiers (RF-DA). The results of this paper suggest that phenology plays a crucial role in discriminating between A. mearnsii and sampled species. The RF classifier discriminated A. mearnsii with slightly higher accuracies (from 92% to 100%) when compared with the iECVA-DA (from 85% to 93%). The study showed the potential of RS to discriminate between A. mearnsii and co-occurring plant species.

Frost maintains forests and grasslands as alternate states in a montane tropical forest–grassland mosaic; but alien tree invasion and warming can disrupt this balance

Abstract Forest–grassland mosaics, with abrupt boundaries between the two vegetation types, occur across the globe. Fire and herbivory are widely considered primary drivers that maintain these mosaics by limiting tree establishment in grasslands, while edaphic factors and frosts are generally considered to be secondary factors that reinforce these effects. However, the relative importance of these drivers likely varies across systems. In particular, although frost is known to occur in many montane tropical mosaics, experimental evidence for its role as a driving factor is limited. We used replicated in situ transplant and warming experiments to examine the role of microclimate (frost and freezing temperatures) and soil in influencing germination and seedling survival of both native forest trees and alien invasive Acacia trees in grasslands of a tropical montane forest–grassland mosaic in the Western Ghats of southern India. Seed germination of both native and alien tree species was higher in grasslands regardless of soil type, indicating that germination was not the limiting stage to tree establishment. However, irrespective of soil type, native seedlings in grasslands incurred high mortality following winter frosts and freezing temperatures relative to native seedlings in adjoining forests where freezing temperatures did not occur. Seedling survival through the tropical winter was thus a primary limitation to native tree establishment in grasslands. In contrast, alien Acacia seedlings in grasslands incurred much lower levels of winter mortality. Experimental night‐time warming in grasslands significantly enhanced over‐winter survival of all tree seedlings, but increases were much greater for alien Acacia than for native tree seedlings. Synthesis. Our results provide evidence for a primary role for frost and freezing temperatures in limiting tree establishment in grasslands of this tropical montane forest–grassland mosaic. Future increases in temperature are likely to release trees from this limitation and favour tree expansion into grasslands, with rates of expansion of non‐native Acacia likely to be much greater than that of native trees. We suggest that studies of frost limitation to plant establishment are needed across a range of tropical ecosystems to re‐evaluate the general importance of frost as a driver of vegetation transitions in the tropics.

Plasticity of phenotype and heteroblasty in contrasting populations of Acacia koa.

Heteroblastic plant species, whose morphology or growth habit changes suddenly during development, offer unique opportunities to investigate the role of selection in canalizing development or increasing the adaptive importance of plasticity. Leaf forms of the Hawaiian tree Acacia koa (koa) change morphologically and physiologically during the first year of growth, providing time to study abiotic factors influencing transition rates relative to other Acacia species. The roles of light and water availability in triggering transition to the mature leaf form in contrasting (wet/dry) ecotypes of koa were investigated using a novel modelling technique to distinguish between chronological and ontogenetic controls in triggering transition. A light quality treatment was included to test interactions of heterophylly (the presence of multiple leaf forms) with heteroblastic processes on the resulting phenotype at transition. Increased light intensity increased transition rates, but reduced red to far-red light (R:FR) ratios did not affect transition rates, solidifying the current paradigm of heteroblasty. However, evidence was found for earlier transition ontogenetically under water stress, which is not part of the current paradigm and could differentiate the role of heteroblasty in some Acacia species versus other heteroblastic species. Ecotypic responses also indicate that plasticity of development could vary across koa's range and the adaptive significance of heteroblasty could be marginalized or amplified dependent on the disparate selective pressures present across koa's range. The use of novel survival functions and a species with an elongated transition time helped to elucidate abiotic modifiers of ontogenetic trajectories. Differences in ontogenetic trajectories between contrasting ecotypes suggest that ongoing climate and land use change will have non-uniform effects on koa regeneration and establishment dynamics across its range.

Prvi nalaz parazitoda (Platygaster robiniae) na bagremovoj muhi šiškarici u Bosni i Hercegovini

Acacia is an allochthonous tree species that has been introduced into our region 400 years ago. Although the invasive species of Obolodiplosis robiniae in this region was first determined in 2007, significant damages have not been recorded on the acacia trees. Average number of galls on black locust leaflet were from 1,04 to 1,48. Average number of larvae in galls were from 0,42 to 0,77. In June of 2018, the first record of a parasitoid of black locust gall midge (Platygaster robiniae) was determined, although it is likely that was occured earlier, but this is the first record and represents a new species in the entomological complex in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Parasitism of larvae of Obolodiplosis robiniae were from 6,66 to 14,28% on different localities.

Analysis of Particle Growth Kinetic of Pea Protein Isolate in Fluidized Bed by In-line Monitoring of Particle Size

Nowadays, there is a demand for products with good nutritional, technological and sensory characteristics. In this context, vegetable protein isolates, as pea protein, has been studied as a substitute to the soy protein, since it has higher levels of essential amino acids and vitamins. These powders are obtained commonly by spray drying that can modify the protein structure and that produces fine particles. So, to improve physicochemical properties, other processes, as agglomeration in fluidizing bed, could be used. The aim of this work was to study the influence of binder solutions characteristics on particle growth kinetics using an in-line particle size monitoring by spatial filter velocimetry. Two different acacia gum solutions (0.7 and 20.0 % w/w) were used as liquid binder. The operating conditions used were drying air temperature of 75 °C and binder flow rate of 3.0 mL/min. Atomization air pressure and atomization nozzle height were kept constant at 7.0 psi and 0.3 m, respectively. Fluid bed agglomeration was a useful method to produce instant pea protein concentrate powder under the operating conditions studied. This process produced larger particles, free-flow improved and shorter wetting time. The binder solution with higher concentration and more viscous provided a more pronounced particle growth and higher process yield. The in-line particle size monitoring was useful to observe the particle growth kinetics and the operating conditions influence on the growth kinetics and particle growth rate in fluidized bed agglomeration. It also was possible to observe that the particle growth rate oscillated during the process showing that the particle size growth results from a positive balance between agglomeration and break.

The effect of supplemental irrigation from polyacrylamide-treated microcatchments on the growth of acacia saligna in dryland

A field study was carried to determine the impact of the land application of polyacrylamide (PAM) on the runoff used for supplemental irrigation. Five treatments were investigated: PAM A-130, PAM A-836, PAM Aerotil, plastic mulch, and natural (no PAM no mulch). Runoff was collected in barrels placed at the downstream end of fifteen plots and then used for the irrigation of acacia trees planted in an experimental site in Jordan. The growth characteristics of the acacia were monitored over a two-year period from 2009 to 2010. The total runoff volumes were significantly different over PAM A-836, PAM Aerotil, and plastic mulch compared to the natural. The results showed that supplemental irrigation of acacia with water collected from PAM plots significantly increased the acacia height and number of leaves compared to the natural and rainfed treatments. The use of PAM-treated runoff also slightly increased the number of branches of the acacia, but the increase was only significant in the case of PAM A-836. There was a weak correlation between the volume of supplemental irrigation generated and the morphological characteristics. The type of PAM seems to have improved plant growth irrespective of the volume of runoff collected.

KEBUTUHAN ENERGI PADA PEMBUATAN PAPAN PARTIKEL DARI TANDAN KOSONG KELAPA SAWIT, SERBUK KULIT PINUS DAN AKASIA

Human needs for wood as building materials or furniture continue to increase along with the increase in population, while the availability of wood in the forest is both limited in number and quality. This affects the particle board industry which is increasingly difficult to get good quality solid wood. One alternative to replace wood particles is Oil Palm Empty Bunches which has enormous potential to be used in the engineering field, especially as raw material for making particle boards, by utilizing acacia bark as an adhesive (matrix). To make particle board energy is needed in the manufacturing process. The energy needed in the process of making particle boards is 47,446,211.61 Joules for 25 particle boards or for 1 board for 1,897,848.46 Joules. If converted to Rupiah, the value of one particle board is Rp. 5030. When compared with factory-made prices with a size of 120 cm x 250 cm with a thickness of 1.2 cm at a price of Rp. 90,000, the particle boards that have been made are more expensive than factory-made ones.

Extrafloral nectaries producing rewards for pollinator attraction in Acacia longifolia (Andr.) Willd.

ABSTRACT Evidence is presented that the extrafloral nectaries (EFN) of Acacia longifolia Andr. Willd. serve as sources of rewards that attract pollinating insects. Bees and wasps feed at EFN often crawling over inflorescences and passively vectoring pollen as birds do on A. terminalis. The position in relation to inflorescences, timing of secretion in relation to flowering, and visitation behavior of pollinating insects support this hypothesis.

Ceratocystis wilt and canker – a disease that compromises the growing of commercial Acacia-based plantations in the tropics

ABSTRACTCeratocystis wilt and canker disease has severely compromised the profitability of Acacia mangium plantations in Southeast Asia. The focus of this review is on Ceratocystis wilt and canker disease in Acacia trees. Its aim is to synthesise information about this fungal pathogen that can be used to inform development of suitable disease-control strategies in forest plantations. The last 20 years have seen many taxonomic changes in Ceratocystis, with some disagreement as to species boundaries. Therefore, an understanding of the origins and development of this disease requires reference to other species, particularly in the context of the biology and fungal taxonomy, disease symptoms and mechanisms of fungal dispersal. The risks and impacts of the disease on the sustainability of Acacia wood production are examined. Observing or surveying disease symptoms in plantations, selecting and planting tolerant or resistant Acacia trees, and the potential of endophytic bacteria as biological control agents are also included in this review.

Epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in Shebelle Zone of Somali Region, eastern Ethiopia

BackgroundVisceral leishmaniasis (VL), a vector-borne disease caused by species of the L.donovani complex, has (re)-emerged in Ethiopia during the last two decades and is currently of increasing public health concern. However, very little is known about VL epidemiology in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to provide detailed epidemiological information on seroprevalence, associated factors and incriminated vectors of VL in Shebelle Zone and Ethiopian Somali Region in general.MethodsA cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted between March and May 2016 in Gode and Adadle districts of Shebelle Zone, Ethiopian Somali Region. Two-stage semi-random sampling was applied for selecting study participants for the field survey. The study included structured questionnaire interviews, serological assays (rK39-immunochromatographic test), ELISA and entomological surveys.ResultsFrom a total of 361 participants, 57 (15.8%) were seropositive for VL including 46 (12.7%) rK39 positive and 11 (3.0%) positive by both rK39 and ELISA. VL seroprevalence was higher (P < 0.001) in Adadle (31.1%) compared to Gode (12.7%) district. The VL seroprevalence rate was higher in females than in males [rK39 (17.2 vs 14.0%) and ELISA (3.4 vs 2.5%)]. Children under the 15 years of age were the most highly affected group [rK39 (20.4%) and ELISA (4.4%)]. Increased VL risk was associated with presence of termite hills, study district, outdoor sleeping, Acacia trees and domestic animals [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 12.58 (5.911–26.763), 5.40 (2.90–10.07), 5.31 (2.283–12.364), 2.37 (1.1190–4.728) and 0.199 (0.097–0.410), respectively]. The entomological survey identified 74 Phlebotomus [P. (Larroussius) orientalis (52/74), P. (Anaphlebotomus) rodhaini (14/74), P. (Paraphlebotomus) sergenti (8/74)] and 11 Sergentomyia sand flies. The average frequency of P. orientalis (3.06 ± 0.66) collected by all traps per night was higher than that of other species. The average frequency of total and specific (P. orientalis) female sand flies was higher in Adadle (1.89 ± 0.423 vs 1.11 ± 0.309) than in Gode (0.62 ± 0.324 vs 0.38 ± 0.183) district. The highest mean numbers of total (8 ± 1.5) and P. orientalis (6 ± 0.913) sand flies were collected in termite hills.ConclusionsThe present findings revealed potential new VL-transmission foci in the study districts. Therefore, the need for parasitological and molecular characterization of the parasite in humans and vector sand flies is of paramount importance to confirm transmission.