Fauna Pests Infesting Pepper (<i>Piper nigrum</i> L.) in Penja-Cameroon

Abstract

Pepper is one of the spices used in the fight against covid-19 in Cameroon. But its production faces many constraints, including arthropods and Molluscs. The purpose of this study in the Penja production basin was to invent the fauna associated with pepper and support trees, as well as pest damage for the development of an appropriate control program. To achieve this, a weekly fauna collection was conducted in 2020 on Lonpomg and Muntok pepper varieties and pest damage was identified. The individuals were captured using an entomological net and a mouth aspirator or with the hand and identified at the Phytopathology and Agricultural Zoology Research Unit, University of Dschang. The identification of this fauna was done under a binocular magnifying glass using the available identification keys. A total of 278 Insecta and Gastropoda were captured. The Insecta class consists of 9 orders (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Odonata, Orthoptera and Phasmatodea), and the order of Stylommatophora. Orthoptera was more representative in terms of individuals (85) and Isoptera and Odonata, the least representative (01 individual). Lonpomg variety was found to be the most attractive to pests. Fauna of useful insects is counted in Hymenoptera, others being pests. The presence of these useful insects shows that biological control is possible. The data collected provide a basis for preliminary knowledge of Piper nigrum's fauna and should be taken into consideration in the design of integrated control strategies for pepper pests in Cameroon.

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“…Orthoptera were also collected in small numbers during both seasons. In Penja-Cameroon, Dzokou et al (2021b) [14] collected more Orthoptera on Piper nigrum and justified their results by the fact that Spondias mombin, the support tree, also hosts Orthoptera.…”