| Summary: | The incidence of the key insect pest of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp), the legume pod borer Maruca vitrata F., was investigated with light trap in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Niger in 2014 and 2015. The results revealed that the first larvae appeared in August (0.03 ± 0.03 to 2.48 ± 0.32 larvae/flower and pod, respectively). Incidence varied between the seasons, and the yield losses were 20.25% in 2014 and 82.32% in 2015, when there was 435 and 496 mm total rainfall, respectively. Lifecycle in the laboratory revealed a duration of 26.42 ±0.14 days, with females living for 16.38 ± 0.56 days with fecundity of 599.74 eggs.
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