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Effect of Mixed Cropping Beans, Cowpeas and Maize on Population Densities of Bean Flower Thrips, Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) (Thripidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

S. Kyamanywa
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Science, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
E. M. Tukahirwa
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
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Abstract

The effect of growing cowpeas mixed with either beans or maize on population densities of Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) was investigated. Also investigated was the effect of varying the cropping densities of the host plants on the pest populations.

There was a significantly lower population of M. sjostedti in cowpea/maize, bean/maize, and cowpea/bean/maize mixed stands as compared with that in either cowpea/bean stands or monoculture stands of cowpeas and beans. Increasing the cropping densities of the host crops increased the abundance of the pest in non-maize based mixed stands, but this effect was not observed in the maize-based mixed stands.

The results indicate that with regard to infestation by M. sjostedti, the practice of mixed cropping beans with cowpeas confers no advantage to either crop with respect to attack by M. sjostedti. On the contrary, combining the two crops attracted infestation levels similar to those attracted by either crop grown in monoculture. But the inclusion of a non-host plant (maize) in the mixture, significantly reduces infestation.

Résumé

Nos recherches ont porté sur l'effet que la culture mixte des petits pois, melés soit aux haricots, soit au maïs peut avoir sur la densité de la population de Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom). Egalément, nous avons examiné l'effet de la variation de la quantité des plantes hôtes sur la population des parasites.

Il y a eu une réduction significative des populations des M. sjostedti dans les emplacements mixtes des petits pois/maïs, haricots/maïs, et petits pois/haricots/maïs en comparaison avec la quantité quise constituait les mélanges des petits pois/haricots ou d'une seule culture individuelle. L'augmentation des densités des cultures des plantes hôtes a mené à l'accroissement des parasites dans les mélanges qui n'avaient pas de maïs, maïs cet effet n'a pas été constaté dans les mélanges avec le maïs.

Les résultats ont indiqué qu'en ce qui concerne l'infection M. sjostedti, la pratique de la culture mixte des haricot et des petits pois n'apporte pas d'avantages à aucune de ces deux plantes, cela a plutôt pour effet d'augmenter la densité des plantes hôtes ce qui, par conséquent, conduit les deux plantes à s'exposer à une étrangère dans le mélange réduit, à un degré significatif le danger d'infection.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1988

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References

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