Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0983
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2161-0983
+44 1478 350008
Banjo F. M and A. D. Banjo
Accepted Abstracts: Entomol Ornithol Herpetol
The seasonal abundance of pest of Solanum species were studied in the rainforest of South western Nigeria.The experimental design that was adopted is randomized complete block design (RCBD). The entomofauna of the leafy Solanum species were collected fortnightly from June 2011 to May 2012 which spans the rainy and dry season periods. The experiment was conducted on unsprayed vegetable fields. Insect pests were counted from ten vegetable plants each. Effect of agro climatic factors: temperature, rainfall and relative humidity on the abundance of insect pests were also observed during this experiment. Correlation analysis was done to determine the influence of these factors on insect abundance. The results of the field study revealed that pest population was found throughout the year with Selepa docilis (Lepidoptera: Noctuiidae) being the major pest affecting the two Solanaceae, other insect pests include: Nezara viridula, Ostrinia nubilalis, Tetranychus viticae, Zonocerus variegatus and Cletus fuscencens . There was a significant correlation between insect pest population and the climatological factors. S. aethiopicum pests was significantly correlated with temperature (0.8558), but rainfall is inversely related to abundance (-0.5091) and relative humidity (-0.7972). S. macrocarpon pests was positively correlated with temperature (0.8306) and negatively correlated with rainfall and relative humidity (-0.6370) and (-0.8157) respectively.