Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T19:03:50.939Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Soil nutrient availability in a primary outbreak area of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in relation to drought intensity and outbreak development in Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J. A. M. Janssen
J. A. M. Janssen*
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands
*
J.A.M. Janssen, Department of Entomology, Wageningen Agricultural University, PO Box 8031, 6700 EH Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

To explain differences between years in outbreak development of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exernpta (Walker), in eastern Africa, the availability to host-plants of soil nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was studied in a primary outbreak area during the first month after the start of the short rainy season in relation to the drought intensity during the preceding year. The weather-soil-plant interactions observed during four successive years (1988–1991) indicated that nitrate levels, especially in soils not extremely poor in organic carbon and total nitrogen, can differ greatly between years in re sponse to differences in drought intensity and rainfall pattern. These resulted in large differences (i.e. up to 2.0% dry wt.) in organic nitrogen levels in leaves of host-plants of S. exempta. Phosphorus and potassium levels in soils and host-plants showed no consistent relationship with the weather pattern over the years and in general their differences between years were relatively small. The occurrence of S. exempta during the first two months after the start of the short rainy season was well associated with plant nitrogen levels in the primary outbreak area: outbreaks developed only in years with at some locations organic nitrogen concentrations of almost 5% in young grasses. If fitness of S. exempta is strongly dependent on the organic nitrogen content of its food within the range encountered in this study, weather conditions during the long dry season might indirectly explain the observed differences in subsequent outbreak development via their delayed effect on host-plant nitrogen levels.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 83 , Issue 4 , December 1993 , pp. 579 - 593
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Birch, H.F., (1958a) Pattern of humus decomposition in East African soils. Nature 181, 788.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birch, H.F. (1958b) The effect of soil drying on humus decomposition and nitrogen availability. Plant and Soil 10, 9–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birch, H.F. (1959a) Simultaneous decomposition processes in soils. Nature 183, 1415.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Birch, H.F. (1959b) Further observations on humus decomposition and nitrification. Plant and Soil 11, 262–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birch, H.F. (1960a) Soil drying and soil fertility. Tropical Agriculture 37, 3–10.Google Scholar
Birch, H.F. (1960b) Nitrification in soils after different periods of dryness. Plant and Soil 12, 81–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birch, H.F. & Friend, M.T. (1956) Humus decomposition in East African soils. Nature 178, 500–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonifacio, R., Dugdale, G. & Milford, J.R. (1991) Sahelian rangeland production in relation to rainfall estimates from meteosat. 5th AVHRR data users’ meeting, Tromso, Norway, 25–28th June, pp. 1–6Google Scholar
Brown, E.S. (1962) The African army worm Spodoptera exempta (Walker) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae): a review of the literature. London, Commonwealth Institute of Entomology.Google Scholar
Brown, E.S & Dewhurst, C.F. (1975) The genus Spodoptera (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Africa and the Near East. Bulletin of Entomological Research 65, 221–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, E.S., Betts, E. & Rainey, R.C. (1969) Seasonal changes in distribution of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Wlk.) (Lep., Noctuidae), with special reference to eastern Africa. Bulletin of Entomological Research 58, 661–728.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casimir, M. (1962) History of outbreaks of the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes termin (Walk.), between 1933 and 1959, and analysis of the influence of rainfall on these outbreaks. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 13, 674–700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cork, A., Murlis, J. & Megenasa, T. (1989) Identification and field testing of additional components of female sex pheromone of African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 15, 1349–1364.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Bruin, B., Penning de Vries, F.W.T., Broekhoven, L.W., Vertregt, N. & Geijn, S.C. van de (1989) Net nitrogen mineralization, nitrification and CO production in alternating moisture conditions in an unfertilized low-humus sandy soil from the Sahel. Plant and Soil 113, 69–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewhurst, C.F. (1985) The African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta)—the East African story outlined from 1962. Antenna 9, 12–18.Google Scholar
Faure, J.C. (1943) Phase variation in the armyworm, Laphygma exempta (Walk.). Union of South Africa, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Science Bulletin 234, 17 pp.Google Scholar
Graham, J.F. (1971) Armyworm outbreak in 1961. FAQ Plant Protection Bulletin 9, 182–184.Google Scholar
Gunn, A. & Gatehouse, A.G. (1985) Effects of the availability of food and water on reproduction in the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta. Physiological Entomology 10, 53–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagenzieker, F. (1957) Soil-nitrogen studies at Urambo, Tanganyika territory, East Africa. Plant and Soil6 9, 97–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haggis, M.J. (1986) Distribution of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and frequency of larval outbreaks in Africa and Arabia. Buletin of Entomological Research 76, 151–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hatfield, J.L., Asrar, G. & Kanemasu, E.T. (1984) Intercepted photosynthetically active radiation estimated by spectral reflectance. Remote Sensing of Environme6nt 14, 65–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hattingh, C.C. (1941) The biology and ecology of the army worm (Laphygma exempta) and its control in South Africa.Science Bulletin Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Union of South Africacupvalid 217, 50 pp.Google Scholar
Henricksen, B.L. & Durkin, J.W. (1986) Growing period and drought early warning in Africa using satellite data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 7, 1583–1608.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hielkema, J.U. (1990) Satellite environmental monitoring for migrant pest forecasting by FAQ: the ARTEMIS system. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 328, 705–717.Google Scholar
Houba, V.J.G.118:146 , Novozamsky, I., Huybregts, A.W.M. & Lee, J.J. van der (1986) Comparison of soil extractions by 0.01 M CaC12, by EUF and by some conventional extraction procedures. Plant and Soil 96, 433–437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houba, V.J.G., Novozamsky, I. & Lee, J.J. van der (1989) Some aspects of determinations of nitrogen fractions in soil extracts. VDLUFA Schizftenreihe 30, 305–312.Google Scholar
Huete, A.R., Jackson, R.D. & Post, D.F. (1985) Spectral response of a plant canopy with different soil backgrounds. Remote Sensing of Environment 17, 37–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jager, G. & Bruins, E.H. (1975) Effect of repeated drying at different temperatures on soil organic matter decomposition and characteristics and on the soil microflora. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 7, 153–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Janssen, J.A.M. (in press a) Effects of the mineral composition and water content of excised leaf sections on the fitness of the African armyworm. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata.Google Scholar
Janssen, J.A.M. (in press b) Effects of the mineral composition and water content of intact plants on the fitness of the African armyworm. Oecologta.Google Scholar
Janssen, J.A.M. & Rose, D.J.W (1990) Does the nutritional quality of the larval host plants influence the occurrence of outbreaks of the African armyworm? Mededelingen van de Faculteit der Landbouwwetenschappen, Rijksuniversiteit Gent 55, 289–295.Google Scholar
Jenkinson, D.S. (1966) Studies on the decomposition of plant material in soil. II Partial sterilization of soil and soil biomass. Journal of Soil Science 17, 280–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kabaara, A.M. (1964) Nitrate studies in a fertilizer experiment in Sukumaland, Tanganyika. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal 30, 142–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieft, T.L., Soroker, E. & Firestone, K. (1987) Microbial biomass response to a rapid increase in water potential when dry soil is wetted. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 19, 119–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lebedjantzev, A.N. (1924) Drying of soil, as one of the natural factors in maintaining soil fertility. Soil Science 18, 419–447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, G., Bryceson, K.P. & Farrow, R.A. (1990) The development of the 1983 outbreak of the common armyworm, Mythimna convecta, in eastern Australia. Journal of Applied Ecology 27, 1001–1019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marcovitch, S. (1957). Forecasting armyworm outbreaks—a possibility. Journal of Economic Entomology 50, 112–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthée, J.J. (1946) A study of the phases of the army worm (Laphygma exempta Walk.). Journal of the Entomological Society of South Africa 9, 60–77.Google Scholar
Mattson, W.J. & Haack, R.A. (1987) The role of drought stress in provoking outbreaks of phytophagous insects. pp. 365–407in Barbosa, P. & Schultz, J.C. (Eds). Insect outbreaks. San Diego, Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mebius, L.J. (1960) A rapid method for the determination of organic carbon in soil. Analytica Chimica Acta 22, 120–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Novozamsky, I., Houba, V.J.G., Eck, R. van & Vark, W. van (1983) A novel digestion technique for multi-element plant analysis. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 14, 239–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Odiyo, P.O. (1979) Forecasting infestations of a migrant pest: the African armyworm Spodoptera exempta (Walk.). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 287, 403–413.Google Scholar
Odiyo, P.O. (1981) Development of the first outbreaks of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Walk.), between Kenya and Tanzania during the ‘off-season’ months of July to December. Insect Science and its Application 1, 305–318.Google Scholar
Odiyo, P.O. (1984) A guide to seasonal changes in the distribution of armyworm infestations in East Africa. Insect Science and Its Application 5, 107–119.Google Scholar
Pedgley, D.E., Reynolds, D.R., Riley, J.R. & Tucker, M.R. (1982) Fying insects reveal small-scale wind systems. Weather 37, 295–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedgley, D.E., Page, W.W., Mushi, A., Odiyo, P., Amisi, J., Dewhurst, C.F., Dunstan, W.R., Fishpool, L.D.C., Harvey, A.W., Megenasa, T. & Rose, D.J.W. (1989) Onset and spread of an African armyworm upsurge. Ecological Entomology 14, 311–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rhoades, D.F. (1985) Offensive-defensive interactions between herbivores and plants. their relevance in herbivore population dynamics and ecological theory. American Naturalist 125, 205–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riley, J.R., Reynolds, D.R. & Farmery, M.J. (1983) Observations of the flight behaviour of the armyworm moth, Spodoptera exempta, at an emergence site using radar and infra-red optical techniques. Ecological Entomology 8, 395–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, D.J.W. (1979) The significance of low-density populations of the African armyworm Spodoptera exempta (Walk.). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 287, 393–402.Google Scholar
Singh, J.S., Raghubanshi, A.S., Singh, R.S. & Srivastava, S.C. (1989) Microbial biomass acts as a source of plant nutrients in dry tropical forest and savanna. Nature 338, 499–500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steer, B.T. (1982) Nitrogen and nitrate accumulation in species having different relationships between nitrate uptake and reduction. Annals of Botany 49, 191–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarpley, J.D., Schneider, S.R. & Money, R.L. (1984) Global vegetation indices from the NOAA–7 Meteorological Satellite. Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology 23, 491–494.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terman, G.L., Noggle, J.C. & Hunt, C.M. (1976) Nitrate-N and total N concentration relationships in several plant species. Agronomy Journal 68, 556–660.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker, M.R. (1984) Forecasting the severity of armyworm seasons in East Africa from early season rainfall. Insect Science and its Application 5, 51–55.Google Scholar
Tucker, M.R. & Pedgley, D.E. (1983) Rainfall and outbreaks of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Nocuidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 73, 195–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Laan, P.A. (1959) Correlation between rainfall in the dry season and the occurrence of the white rice borer (Scirpophaga innotata Wlk) in Java. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 2, 12–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wetselaar, R. (1961) Nitrate distribution in tropical soils. I. Possible causes of nitrate accumulation near the surface after a long dry period. Plant and Soil 15, 110–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, T.C.R. (1969) An index to measure weather-induced stress of trees associated with outbreaks of psyllids in Australia. Ecology 50, 905–909.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, T.C.R. (1974) A hypothesis to explain outbreaks of looper caterpillars, with special reference to populations of Selidosema suavis in a plantation of Pinus radiata in New Zealand. Oecologia 16, 279–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, T.C.R. (1976) Weather, food and plagues of locusts. Oecologia 22, 119–134.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, K. & Gatehouse, A.G. (1993) Seasonal and geographical variation in the migratory potential of outbreak populations of the African armyworm moth, Spodoptera exempta. Journal of Animal Ecology 62, 169–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar