Identification of pests and assessment of their damage on Carapa procera and Lophira lanceolata in Burkina Faso, West Africa

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Résumé

Nontimber forest products are a source of
income for women in rural African communities. However,
these products are frequently damaged by insect pests. The
present study investigates the diversity and damage rates of
insect pests that attack Carapa procera seeds and Lophira
lanceolata fruits. The experiment was set up in western
Burkina Faso and, for C. carapa, consisted of pests collected from seeds that had fallen to the ground and from
stockpiled seeds. For L. lanceolata, pests were collected
from fruits on the trees, and on the ground. The collected
samples were sent to the laboratory to estimate the proportion of damaged seeds/fruits and rear the insects. The
results showed that Ephestia spp., Tribolium castaneum,
Oryzeaphilus spp., and Tenebroides mauritanicus were the
pests of Carapa procera seeds and Lophira lanceolata
fruits. Ephestia spp. was recorded as the main pest of both
C. procera and L. lanceolata, whereas T. castaneum was
only detected from seeds of L. lanceolata. For C. procera,
the stocks were the most infested (29 %) by Ephestia spp.
The infestation rate of fruits of L. lanceolata by Ephestia
spp. on trees (31.42 ± 3.75 %) was less than the rate of
fruits by T. castaneum on the ground (44.00 ± 3.5 %). The
different body sizes of Ephestia spp. may indicate the
occurrence of two putative species, one from C. procera
and another one from L. lanceolata. This work provides
important information that could contribute to the setting
up of a local-scale sustainable management framework for
oil tree pests in Burkina Faso and surrounding countries.

Mots-clés

Insect diversity Carapa procera Lophira lanceolata Ephestia spp. Pest management