Effect of drought stress on the incidence of certain arthropod pests and predators inhabiting cowpea plantations

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of drought stress on the incidence of certain arthropod pests and their associated predators which inhabit cowpea plantations, field tests were conducted in two different levels of irrigation (10-and 20-day intervals) by using five newly produced cowpea cultivars. Results indicated that the main piercing and sucking pests Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) and Tetranychus urticae Koch. were represented in high numbers in stressed plantations when compared to non-stressed ones. On the other hand, the common predators associated with these pests had not been affected by these irrigation differences. Regarding to the damage percentage caused by the pod borer pest Etiella zinckenella Treitschke, an obvious increase was recorded on stressed plantations than on the normal irrigated ones in most of the tested cultivars. At harvest, the obtained results indicated an obvious decrease in the net yield income of all the tested cultivars in the stressed irrigated area than in normal irrigated one. Therefore, it must be recommended to irrigate cowpea plantations by at least 10-day intervals to avoid the high infestation by both of the sucking pests and pod borers, and also, to obtain high and good yield income.

Drones: Innovative Technology for Use in Precision Pest Management

“…Plants exposed to abiotic stressors, such as drought and nutrient deficiencies, are often more susceptible to biotic stressors. This holds true for a large variety of arthropod pests, such as spider mites (Garman and Kennedy 1949, Rodriguez and Neiswander 1949, Rodriguez 1951, Perring et al 1986, Stiefel et al 1992, Machado et al 2000, Abdel-Galil et al 2007, Nansen et al 2013, Ximénez-Embún et al 2017, aphids (Myers and Gratton 2006, Walter and Difonzo 2007, Lacoste et al 2015, and lepidopteran larvae (Gutbrodt et al 2011(Gutbrodt et al , 2012Grinnan et al 2013;Weldegergis et al 2015). Due to this well-established association between abiotic stressors and risk of arthropod pest outbreaks, it may be argued that precision application of abiotic stress relief, such as application of water and fertilizer, represents a meaningful approach to reducing the risk of outbreaks by some arthropod pests (Nansen et al 2013, West andNansen 2014).…”

Smart-use of fertilizers to manage spider mites (Acari: Tetrachynidae) and other arthropod pests

“…Females of two-spotted spider mites complete a generation in 2 to 3 weeks and lay more than 100 eggs in their life time (Gerson & Weintraub, 2012). It is quite noteworthy that spider mite infestations are almost always associated with crops grown under moderate to severe levels of abiotic stress or unbalance induced by: 1) drought [sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (Stiefel, Margolies, & Bramel-Cox, 1992), soybean, Glycine max L. (Klubertanz, Pedigo, & Carlson, 1990), Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp (Abdel-Galil, Amro, & Abdel-Moniem, 2008), and maize (Zea mays L.) (Perring, Holtzer, Toole, & Norman, 1986;Toole, Norman, Holtzer, & Perring, 1984)], or 2) fertilizer (Amtmann et al, 2008;Chen et al, 2007;Garman & Kennedy, 1949;Machado et al, 2000;Rodriguez, 1951;Rodriguez & Neiswander, 1949). In other words, risk of spider mite infestations may Katrina West 1 , Christian Nansen 1,2 Smart-use of fertilizers to manage spider mites (Acari:…”