Ronald Kityo Msc Thesis 2016.Pdf
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FACULTY OF AGRONOMY AND FORESTRY ENGINEERING EVALUATION OF THE OCCURENCE OF PARASITOIDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INVASIVE COCONUT WHITEFLY (Aleurotrachelus atratus) IN INHAMBANE PROVINCE, MOZAMBIQUE BY RONALD KITYO E-mail: [email protected] A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of a Master of Science (MSc) in crop protection at Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique Maputo, June 2016 FACULTY OF AGRONOMY AND FORESTRY ENGINEERING EVALUATION OF THE OCCURENCE OF PARASITOIDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INVASIVE COCONUT WHITEFLY (Aleurotrachelus atratus) IN INHAMBANE PROVINCE, MOZAMBIQUE BY RONALD KITYO E-mail: [email protected] Supervisor: Dr. Domingos Cugala (PhD) A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of a Master of Science (MSc) in crop protection at Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique Maputo, June 2016 Ronald Kityo, 2016: Evaluation of the occurrence of parasitoids of Aleurotrachelus atratus. ii DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE I, Ronald Kityo, hereby declare that: This thesis is a representation of my original research work. All content and ideas drawn directly or indirectly from external sources are indicated as such. The thesis has not been submitted to any other examining body or any other university and has not been published. It does not contain other person‟s data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless acknowledged as being sourced from such persons. It does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the internet unless specifically acknowledged as so and the source being detailed in the thesis reference section. This work was produced under the supervision of Prof. Domingos Cugala at Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique. ___________________________________________ ___/___/2016 Signature Date Ronald Kityo (MSc. candidate) I confirm that the work reported in this thesis was carried out by the candidate under my supervision. Dr. Domingos Cugala Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, Eduardo Mondlane University ___________________________________________ ___/___/2016 Signature Date Ronald Kityo, 2016: Evaluation of the occurrence of parasitoids of Aleurotrachelus atratus. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge INTRA-ACP and RUFORUM for the financial support during my studies in Mozambique. I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Professor Domingos Cugala for the useful comments, remarks and engagements through the learning and research process of this master‟s. I would also like to thank Professor Luisa Santos and Dr. Amelia Jorge Sidumo, and other academic and non-academic staff of Eduardo Mondlane University for their academic and non-academic support. I would like to thank the technician from Inhambane province Mr. Manuel Lopes Parruque and the farmers who willing allowed us access to their fields during the field study. Also, I would like to thank my fellow classmates and other friends for the continuous support through my master‟s study and friendly advices shared. My deepest gratitude goes to my Mum Jane and Dad Abed for the moral support, encouragement and prayers in my master‟s study. Special thanks go to my wife Lydia and my daughter Lisa for the love and patience during the long wait. I am grateful to the almighty God for the blessings and wellbeing that were necessary for me to complete this master‟s thesis. Ronald Kityo, 2016: Evaluation of the occurrence of parasitoids of Aleurotrachelus atratus. iv DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my incredible brother, Godfrey who has been both a brother and father in my life since my childhood and whose examples have taught me the value of hard work and whose hard work and sacrifice made me what I am today. Ronald Kityo, 2016: Evaluation of the occurrence of parasitoids of Aleurotrachelus atratus. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE ................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................. x ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... xi RESUMO ...................................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem statement and justification ...................................................................................... 2 1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.3.1 General objective ........................................................................................................... 3 1.3.2 Specific objectives ......................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................ 4 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... 4 2.1 The coconut palm .................................................................................................................. 4 2.1.1 Origin ............................................................................................................................. 4 2.1.2 World production ........................................................................................................... 4 2.1.3 Botanical description ..................................................................................................... 5 2.1.4 Biology of the coconut palm .......................................................................................... 5 2.1.5 Tree ecology................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.6 Biophysical limits of coconut palm ............................................................................... 6 2.1.7 Species distribution ........................................................................................................ 6 2.1.8 Products and uses ........................................................................................................... 6 2.1.9 Pests of coconut palm .................................................................................................... 7 2.2 The coconut whitefly ............................................................................................................ 8 2.2.1 Biology and ecology ...................................................................................................... 8 Ronald Kityo, 2016: Evaluation of the occurrence of parasitoids of Aleurotrachelus atratus. vi 2.2.2 Taxonomy and identification ......................................................................................... 8 2.2.3 Pest distribution ............................................................................................................. 9 2.2.4 Dispersal ability ........................................................................................................... 10 2.2.5 Host range .................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.6 Economic importance .................................................................................................. 10 2.2.7 Control methods ........................................................................................................... 11 2.2.8 Biological control......................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................................................... 15 3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................................................................................ 15 3.1 Description of the study area .............................................................................................. 15 3.2 Determination of the infestation of coconut whitefly (Aleurotrachelus atratus) in Inhambane province .................................................................................................................. 15 3.2.1 Sampling procedure ....................................................................................................