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RA 00110.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

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Sahelian Zone<br />

Tunisia<br />

0 km 1000<br />

Morocco<br />

Western<br />

Sahara<br />

Algeria<br />

Libya<br />

Mauritania<br />

Cape Verde<br />

Islands<br />

Niger<br />

Dakar<br />

Gambia<br />

Guinea-Bissau<br />

R. Guinea<br />

Ivory<br />

Coast<br />

Nigeria<br />

Central<br />

African Republic<br />

Cameroon<br />

Zaire<br />

Figure 1. West African Sahelian zone.<br />

to appear on the leaves. Drought conditions only<br />

aggravate the damage as the leaves wilt and the plant<br />

finally dies.<br />

Leaf Pests<br />

Lepidopterous armyworms are important pests of<br />

millet foliage during the vegetative and reproductive<br />

stages, but their attack is sporadic. First-generation<br />

larvae of Spodoptera exigua, S. exempta, S. littoralis,<br />

and Amsacta moloneyi appear just after emergence,<br />

causing substantial, often localized damage (Ndoye<br />

1978). The larvae migrate in gregarious bands.<br />

Mythima loreyi are found lodged in the leaf whorl;<br />

they are voracious leafeaters but their number is<br />

limited. A l l these armyworms are usually abundant<br />

in August.<br />

Pearl millet is susceptible to grasshopper attack,<br />

as are other graminaea (Launois 1978). Severe damage<br />

by OedaJeus senegalensis, O. nigeriensis, Higeroglyphus<br />

daganensis, and Chrotogonos spp. has<br />

often been recorded in Mauritania and Niger.<br />

Aphids (Rhopalosiphum maidis) become active<br />

during periods of prolonged drought. Due to their<br />

parthenogenetic reproduction, aphids can produce<br />

up to 40 generations annually. The larvae and adults<br />

suck the sap from the leaf whorl, leaves, and milkstage<br />

grain, thus retarding plant development. Moreover,<br />

the aphid is a vector for viral diseases. Certain<br />

bugs (Aspavia armigera, Calidea spp., Nezara viridula,<br />

Diploxis sp.) suck the sap of young leaves, but<br />

their incidence is low. In Burkina Faso, leaf yellowing<br />

in mature plants is often caused by larvae of the<br />

spittle bug (Poophilus costalis) (Bonzi 1981).<br />

Stem Borers<br />

From 1.5 months after emergence until harvest,<br />

pearl millet is exposed to several species of borers<br />

(Gahukar 1984); the most important are Acigona<br />

ignefusalis on early varieties, and Sesamia calamistis<br />

on late varieties. The biology and ecology of these<br />

polyphagous African stem borers have been studied<br />

by Ingram (1958), Harris (1962), and Usua (1968).<br />

196

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