A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the effects of natural products on the reproduction and damage of Callosobruchus maculatus, the cowpea weevil, on cowpea seeds at Botswana College of Agriculture in Gaborone, Botswana. The cowpea variety Blackeye was used in the study. Fifty grams of each plant product (garlic, peppermint and chilies) was added to 500 g of the cowpea seeds. Findings of this experiment revealed that chilies and garlic had negative effects on cowpea weevils for all parameters measured. Peppermint also showed significant reduction in the F1 progeny of the cowpea weevils but with less effect on weevils than garlic and chilies. The results indicate that these plant products have the potential to protect cowpea seeds from cowpea weevils’ damage compared to when the seeds are left or stored unprotected. They should, therefore, be included in pest management strategies for cowpea weevil in grains stored on-farm in rural tropical and subtropical regions.
Bean leaf beetle,
Cerotoma trifurcata
(Forster) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a common pest of soybean in the Midwest United States. However, there are currently no reports on the genetic variability of
C. trifurcata
. This study examined 15–30 individuals from 25 sample locations to estimate genetic variability and gene flow within and among
C. trifurcata
from across the Mid- west. Amplified fragment length polymorphism generated 175 markers for analyses. Results from analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that the majority of genetic variation was from within samples; only a small amount of the total variation was attributed to the variation among the samples. The GST for the entire
C. trifurcata
population indicated that the majority of genetic variation was found within the samples, further supporting the AMOVA results. The estimated average gene flow among the
C. trifurcata
samples was 1.83. The Mantel test revealed no indication of correlation between geographical and genetic distance for all the
C. trifurcata
samples. These findings show that
C. trifurcata
in the Midwest are genetically heterogeneous and part of a large, interbreeding population.
This study set out to review the nutritional composition of termites and earthworms and their potential value as alternative sources of animal protein in poultry diets. It has been demonstrated that termites and earthworms have high nutritional value and that they may be an important source of protein, carbohydrate, fats, vitamins and minerals. In Botswana, feed costs account for over 70% of the total production costs in commercial poultry production, as nearly all the ingredients used in manufacturing feeds are imported. This makes the prospect of utilizing insects which are available in nature for most part of the year as alternative sources of proteins feasible. Nutritionally, it has been shown that termites and earthworms compare favourably with fish meal, which is the main animal protein source in poultry diets. Based on the high nutritive value of termites and earthworms, it seems that there is need to carry out extensive research on their production in order to enable their use in smallholder poultry production.
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