TITLE:
Effects of Selected Pesticidal Plants on Termites Affecting Maize Production in Arusha, Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Shaban James, Patrick A. Ndakidemi, Ernest R. Mbega
KEYWORDS:
Damage, Mortality, Pesticidal Plants, Repellency, Termites, Maize
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.11 No.3,
March
27,
2020
ABSTRACT: Investigations under laboratory and field conditions
were carried out with purpose of understanding the effects of pesticides of Cupressus
lusitanica, Tephrosia vogelii, Eucalpytus dalrympleana, Lantana camara and Azadirachta indica in the control of termites which affect maize production in Arusha, Tanzania.
Termites were collected before and during maize season of 2018 and identified
at the Tropical Pesticides Research Institute (TPRI) laboratory. A total of
5279 out of 5307 termite species identified belong to genus Macrotermes, 23 species to genus Odontotermes and 5 species were unknown. The results entailed that
the area is rich in species of genus Macrotermes. Moreover, concentrations i.e. 5 g, 10 g and 20 g of each botanical were tested for Macrotermes spp. mortality and repellency ability in the laboratory using a completely randomized design (CRD)
with three replicates. The results showed that 98.33% Macrotermes spp. mortality was caused by T. vogelii followed
by 93.33% recorded from E. dalrympleana after 24 hours. Besides, C. lusitanica repelled Macrotermes spp. by 97% followed by 95% recorded from T. vogelii and E. dalrympleana each. For field
trials, 20 g of each botanical was applied using randomized complete
block design (RCBD) with four replicates. The results obtained from field
indicated that T. vogelii was more
effective to protect maize with an average of 6 maize stands and 3.4 kg of dry
total weight of maize grains next to positive control per plot. Also, average
of 4 maize stands and 3 kg dry total weight of maize grains were recorded from
treatments of E. dalrympleana and C. lusitanica each. Such results
highlight the potential of developing bio-termiticides from T. vogelii, C. lusitanica and E. dalrympleana to control Macrotermes spp.