Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping

Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) is the most consumed leaf vegetable in Benin. A study carried out in south Benin have shown that the production of this vegetable is severely limited by insect pest pressure. The present study aimed to identify the major constraint limiting amaranth production in Sé...

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Autores principales: Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y., Logbo, J., Dassou, A.G., Lokossi, L., Akpla, E., Fiaboe, K., Tamò, Manuele
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130496
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author Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y.
Logbo, J.
Dassou, A.G.
Lokossi, L.
Akpla, E.
Fiaboe, K.
Tamò, Manuele
author_browse Akpla, E.
Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y.
Dassou, A.G.
Fiaboe, K.
Logbo, J.
Lokossi, L.
Tamò, Manuele
author_facet Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y.
Logbo, J.
Dassou, A.G.
Lokossi, L.
Akpla, E.
Fiaboe, K.
Tamò, Manuele
author_sort Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) is the most consumed leaf vegetable in Benin. A study carried out in south Benin have shown that the production of this vegetable is severely limited by insect pest pressure. The present study aimed to identify the major constraint limiting amaranth production in Ségbana municipality, located in the north of Benin and proposed sustainable agroecological solutions to farmers. Thus, a survey was conducted among 150 farmers in three villages of Ségbana (Lougou, Sokotindji and Piami) through well-structured questionnaires to know the major constraint limiting amaranth production. Agroecological methods for managing pests of this vegetable were offered to farmers through an experimental trial consisting of a Fisher block with four treatments and five replications conducted in Sokoundji village. The control treatment (To) consisted of amaranth in pure culture; the treatment (T1), amaranth plants surrounded by basil plants; (T2) rows of amaranth alternated with basil rows and (T3), amaranth plants alternated with basil plants in all directions. Every 5 days, 5 plants were randomly selected per treatment and the numbers of S. recurvalis and P. basalis were counted. Pest damage and yield per treatment were also assessed. Almost all farmers surveyed (100%) reported pest attacks as the major constraint limiting amaranth production. The results obtained on the abundance and the herbivory rate showed powerful negative effects (Df = 3; P < 0.0001) of the different treatments. Moreover, the treatment T2 (amaranth plants alternated with basil rows) gave the highest yield (1.25 t/ha of fresh leaves) and differed significantly from the other treatments (Df = 3; p = 0.039). The association basil – amaranth reduced the abundance of P. basalis and S. recurvalis and also improved the amaranth productivity with LER = 1.16. The association basil – amaranth is more beneficial than pure cultures because it hosts less of the insect pests studied, provides higher yields and makes rational use of the growing space.
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spelling CGSpace1304962025-12-08T09:54:28Z Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y. Logbo, J. Dassou, A.G. Lokossi, L. Akpla, E. Fiaboe, K. Tamò, Manuele yields pests productivity vegetables intercropping agroecology amaranth leaves Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) is the most consumed leaf vegetable in Benin. A study carried out in south Benin have shown that the production of this vegetable is severely limited by insect pest pressure. The present study aimed to identify the major constraint limiting amaranth production in Ségbana municipality, located in the north of Benin and proposed sustainable agroecological solutions to farmers. Thus, a survey was conducted among 150 farmers in three villages of Ségbana (Lougou, Sokotindji and Piami) through well-structured questionnaires to know the major constraint limiting amaranth production. Agroecological methods for managing pests of this vegetable were offered to farmers through an experimental trial consisting of a Fisher block with four treatments and five replications conducted in Sokoundji village. The control treatment (To) consisted of amaranth in pure culture; the treatment (T1), amaranth plants surrounded by basil plants; (T2) rows of amaranth alternated with basil rows and (T3), amaranth plants alternated with basil plants in all directions. Every 5 days, 5 plants were randomly selected per treatment and the numbers of S. recurvalis and P. basalis were counted. Pest damage and yield per treatment were also assessed. Almost all farmers surveyed (100%) reported pest attacks as the major constraint limiting amaranth production. The results obtained on the abundance and the herbivory rate showed powerful negative effects (Df = 3; P < 0.0001) of the different treatments. Moreover, the treatment T2 (amaranth plants alternated with basil rows) gave the highest yield (1.25 t/ha of fresh leaves) and differed significantly from the other treatments (Df = 3; p = 0.039). The association basil – amaranth reduced the abundance of P. basalis and S. recurvalis and also improved the amaranth productivity with LER = 1.16. The association basil – amaranth is more beneficial than pure cultures because it hosts less of the insect pests studied, provides higher yields and makes rational use of the growing space. 2023-06 2023-05-25T11:51:53Z 2023-05-25T11:51:53Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130496 en Open Access application/pdf Elsevier Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y., Logbo, J., Dassou, A.G., Lokossi, L., Akpla, E., Fiaboe, K. & Tamo, M. (2023). Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 12: 100627, 1-8.
spellingShingle yields
pests
productivity
vegetables
intercropping
agroecology
amaranth leaves
Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y.
Logbo, J.
Dassou, A.G.
Lokossi, L.
Akpla, E.
Fiaboe, K.
Tamò, Manuele
Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping
title Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping
title_full Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping
title_fullStr Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping
title_full_unstemmed Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping
title_short Investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping
title_sort investigation of amaranth production constraints and pest infestation reduction by basil intercropping
topic yields
pests
productivity
vegetables
intercropping
agroecology
amaranth leaves
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130496
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