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The biological basis for the seasonal outbreak of cassava green mites in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

J. S. Yaninek
Affiliation:
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, PMB 5320, Oyo Road, Ibadan, Nigeria
H. R. Herren
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
A. P. Gutierrez
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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Abstract

In Africa, cassava green mite (CGM) is an exotic tetranychid, recently introduced from the Neotropics. In the absence of effective natural enemies, seasonal changes in the weather, either directly through several climatic factors or indirectly through the host plant, dominate the phenology and limit the growth rates of CGM populations. The intrinsically high rate of increase of CGM results in large populations when enhanced by high temperatures and suitable host plants during periods when evaporation exceeds precipitation. Mite numbers decline as precipitation increases and when suitable host plants are not available. The suitability of a host plant, as measured by CGM's intrinsic rate of increase, varies with drought stress, plant age, leaf age and cultivar. The introduction of effective natural enemies from CGM's area of origin is expected to dampen the seasonal abundance of this mite without changing its general phenology.

Résumé

En Afrique, l'acarien verts du manioc est un tétranychide exotique récemment introduit de la zone tropicale du Nouveau Monde. En l'absence d'ennemis naturels efficaces, les changements climatiques saisonniers, exprimés directement par divers facteurs météorologiques ou indirectement par la plante-hôte, agissent sur la phénologie de l'acarien et limitent le taux d'accroissement de ses colonies. Le taux d'accroissement intrinsèque particulièrement élevé des populations de l'acarien vert provoque l'apparition de larges colonies lorsqu'il est favorisé par des températures élevées et la présence de plantes-hôtes adéquates, c'est-à-dire quand l'évaporation est plus importante que les précipitations. Ces colonies diminuent lorsque les précipations augmentent et que les plantes-hôtes adéquates ne sont plus disponibles. Le taux d'accroissement intrinsèque des colonies de l'acarien vert témoigne de la présence de plantes-hôtes favorables, un critère qui, d'ailleurs, varie selon les périodes sèches, l'âge de la plante et de la feuille, et le cultivar. L'introduction d'ennemis naturels de la région d'origine de l'acarien vert devrait limiter l'abondance saisonnière de ce ravageur sans pour autant modifier sa phénologie générale.

Type
Symposium XI: Africa-wide Biological Control Programme of Cassava Pests
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1987

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References

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