Abundance and Spatial Dispersion of Rice Stem Borer Species in Kahama, Tanzania Alfonce Leonard1 and Gration M
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Journal of Insect Science Research Abundance and Spatial Dispersion of Rice Stem Borer Species in Kahama, Tanzania Alfonce Leonard1 and Gration M. Rwegasira2,3 1Department of Crops, Lake Zone Agricultural Research and Development Institute (LZARDI), P.O. Box 1433, Mwanza, Tanzania 2Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] 3Department of Crop Science and Production, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3005 SUA, Morogoro, Tanzania Subject Editor: Brian Aukema J. Insect Sci. (2015) 15(1): 132; DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iev106 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/15/1/132/2583439 by guest on 04 October 2018 ABSTRACT. Species diversity, abundance, and dispersion of rice stem borers in framer’s fields were studied in four major rice growing areas of Kahama District. Stem borer larvae were extracted from the damaged tillers in 16 quadrants established in each field. Adult Moths were trapped by light traps and collected in vials for identification. Results indicated the presence of Chilo partellus, Maliarpha separatella, and Sesamia calamistis in all study areas. The most abundant species was C. partellus (48.6%) followed by M. separatella (35.4%) and S. calamistis was least abundant (16.1%). Stem borers dispersion was aggregated along the edges of rice fields in three lo- cations (wards) namely: Bulige, Chela, and Ngaya. The dispersion in the fourth ward, Kashishi was uniform as established from two of the three dispersion indices tested. Further studies would be required to establish the available alternative hosts, the extent of eco- nomic losses and the distribution of rice stem borers in the rest of the Lake zone of Tanzania. Key Words: abundance, dispersion, stem borer, rice varieties, Tanzania Stem borers are major biotic constraints to cereal production in sub- Rice stem borers attack the crop from seedling to ear setting stages. Saharan Africa (Mailafiya et al. 2011). These stem borers have been re- Damage caused by stem borers differs depending on the growth stages ported to be responsible for yield losses in rice ranging between 5 and of the plant (Indike 2002). Caterpillars tend to destroy the stems 10% or 60% in case of outbreak in Africa and Asia (Pathak and Khan through boring the leaf sheaths at the node point, feeding on the leaf 1994). Stem borers exhibit complete metamorphosis whereby larva is sheath for about a week after which they enter the stem. Larvae destruc- the only destructive stage (Srivastava et al. 2003). With exception of tive effect on the terminal shoots are manifested through the damage Sesamia calamistis (Hampson) that borer direct into stem (Bosque- symptom known as “dead heart” (Pathak and Khan 1994). Dead heart Pe´rez and Schulthess 1998), the larvae of first instars in most stem borer symptom is characterized by whitish or discolored area at feeding site species initially feed on young leaf tissues while older larvae feed into of leaf blade and finally the stem turns brown, wilts, and dry. If the stem stem tissues (Mailafiya et al. 2011). borers attack at the flowering stage of the plant the panicle becomes Approximately 20 stem borer species have been reported as most se- white and empty, this symptom is known as “white head” (Pathak and rious pests of rice throughout the world. In Africa, four species are said Khan 1994, Indike 2002). to be of economic importance namely: Chilo spp., Diopsis longcornis, Relative abundance and composition of stem borer species are im- Maliarpha separatella (Ragonot), and S. calamistis (Ismaila 2010, portant aspects to consider in determining the stem borer species pre- Ogah 2013). These stem borers occur in most tropical African countries sent in certain location (Banwo et al. 2001). Various studies of namely: Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Gambia, lepidopterous stem bores in Africa have been determining rice stem Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, borer’s species abundance basing on upland and irrigated rice (Alam Reunion, South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe (Ismaila 2011). In Tanzania, abundance and composition of stem borer species 2010). The distribution and abundance of these stem borer species vary have been determined in maize fields and wild host plants in Eastern among different ecological zones (Ogah 2013). Zone of Tanzania (Abdulla 2007). However, the abundance, species In Tanzania, three lepidopteran stem borers have been reported to composition and dispersion as influenced by the different sowing dates include the white stem borer (M. seperatella), African pink stem borer in commonly grown rice varieties has never been established under (S. calamistis), and Spotted stem borer (Chilo partellus, Swinhoe) small-scale growers’ system. This study aimed at bridging such knowl- (Banwo 2002). These stem borers are highly distributed in rice growing edge gap and established an understanding on varieties most preferred regions like Mbeya, Morogoro, Mwanza, Shinyanga, and Zanzibar. by certain stem borer species and the sowing dates that coincide with The rice stem borers are among insect pests that lower rice potential peak moth population so that the two can be avoided to minimize dam- yield. Very little work has been done in Tanzania to study the insect ages and yield losses associated with the pests. This study aimed at in- pests of rice (Banwo et al. 2001). vestigating the existing species of the rice stem borers, the abundance, In the Lake Victoria zone of Tanzania particularly Kahama district and spatial dispersion in rice fields in Kahama district, the major rice rice growers complained bitterly about damages caused by stem-boring growing area in the Lake zone of Tanzania. caterpillars. Preliminary visit and interview with growers in 2012 sug- gested that stem borers could be a problem but substantial facts had to Materials and Methods be established (G. M. Rwegasira, personal communication). The spe- Sampling Procedure in Survey Sites. Twenty farmer’s fields were cies diversity, abundance, and the spatial dispersion of the existing stem kept under surveillance of larvae and adult moths throughout the grow- borers in rice fields remained unknown. According to Addo-Bediako ing season from November 2013 to May 2014 in four major rice grow- and Thanguane (2012), the spatial and temporal distribution and abun- ing wards of Kahama district (Bulige, Chela, Kashishi, and Ngaya). dance of stem borers vary among and within host plants possibly due to Rice fields were randomly chosen at approximately interval of 1 km their suitability for oviposition and larval development. from one farm to the other. A plot size of about 1 acre (70 by 70 m) was VC The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] 2 JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE VOLUME 15 ÀÁ earmarked by using fiber tape. A guard row of 15–20 m was main- log S2 ¼ logðÞþða bÞlogðmÞ tained. Stratified sampling method was used in all selected farms where by the farm was divided into four strata. In every stratum, four quadrats Test b ¼ 1: t ¼ (b À1)/SEb and test b ¼ 1: (b À1)/SEb where SEb and of 1 by 1 m size were established for sampling, thereby making a total SEb are the standard errors of the slope for the mean crowding regres- of 16 quadrats in each field. In each field selected, sowing date and rice sion. Calculated values are compared with tabulated t values with n À2 variety were noted. The varieties selected were Kalamata, Mayobhe, degrees of freedom. If the calculated t(tc) <t table (tt) the null hypothe- and Supa. sis (b À1) would be accepted and spatial distribution would be random. A split plot experimental design was considered. Wards were If tc >tt, the null hypothesis would be rejected (Arbab 2014). regarded as main plot factor while farmer’s fields were regarded as sub Data Analysis. The collected data were tested for normally using plot factor. Name of the rice variety and sowing date in each of the SPSS statistical package upon which conformity to the normal distribu- selected fields were recorded. tion suggested no need for transformation. Data for borer’s abundance Stem Borer Species Density and Abundance. Two light traps were were subjected to the one way (ANOVA) and mean separation tested at Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/15/1/132/2583439 by guest on 04 October 2018 used in moths trapping during night time in each field. Where by a P < 0.05 by using Genstat 15 edition statistical package (VSN interna- white cloth was reinforced with ropes and tied between two stands tional). Coefficient of dispersion data were analyzed by Iwao’s crowd- and wooden splints. Two electrical bulbs (black and white light ing regression and Taylor power law indices, regression and parameters sources) were attached to the cloth to attract the moths. Moths gath- were generated by using SPSS statistical package. The least significant ering on the white cloth were collected into collection vials applied difference among means was established at 5%. with ethyl acetate (99.9%-Harris Reagent: Batch, 922393) and sorted later to identify the respective species. Moths were trapped two Results times at vegetative stage and two times at reproductive stage in all Species Abundance and Density in Study Areas. Three species of 20 farms surveyed. Trapping was done for 3 h from 20:00 to 23:00. stem borers, C. partellus, M. separatella, and S. calamistis were East Africa time in each farm.