Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production

We interviewed half of the mango-growers in northern Benin, including 15 farmers involved in a regional fruit fly project, and held focus group discussions with women fruit-pickers. They were asked about pest management and their knowledge of a weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda. All considered low yi...

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Main Authors: Sinzogan, A.A.C., Mele, P. van, Vayssières, Jean-François
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Informa UK Limited 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/90840
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author Sinzogan, A.A.C.
Mele, P. van
Vayssières, Jean-François
author_browse Mele, P. van
Sinzogan, A.A.C.
Vayssières, Jean-François
author_facet Sinzogan, A.A.C.
Mele, P. van
Vayssières, Jean-François
author_sort Sinzogan, A.A.C.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description We interviewed half of the mango-growers in northern Benin, including 15 farmers involved in a regional fruit fly project, and held focus group discussions with women fruit-pickers. They were asked about pest management and their knowledge of a weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda. All considered low yields due to fruit flies to be the principal constraint upon mango production, estimating economic losses to be between 20 and 45%. None could recognize damage during the first 2 days after fruit fly egg deposition. On-farm research persuaded farmers to stop using insecticides and it also changed negative perceptions of Oecophylla. Over 80% of the farmers involved in on-farm research, compared to 25% of those not involved, reported Oecophylla to be beneficial. All fruit-pickers knew that ants protected mango from fruit flies, with 60% attributing better mango quality in terms of appearance, shelf-life and sweetness to the presence of Oecophylla. Nevertheless, 40% of the pickers still considered weaver ants a nuisance pest during harvest. Ways of reducing this nuisance need to be developed for Oecophylla to gain wider acceptance by mango-growers.
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spelling CGSpace908402025-12-08T09:54:28Z Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production Sinzogan, A.A.C. Mele, P. van Vayssières, Jean-François farmer knowledge labourer fruit fly oecophylla longinoda weaver ants conservation biological control on-farm research mango We interviewed half of the mango-growers in northern Benin, including 15 farmers involved in a regional fruit fly project, and held focus group discussions with women fruit-pickers. They were asked about pest management and their knowledge of a weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda. All considered low yields due to fruit flies to be the principal constraint upon mango production, estimating economic losses to be between 20 and 45%. None could recognize damage during the first 2 days after fruit fly egg deposition. On-farm research persuaded farmers to stop using insecticides and it also changed negative perceptions of Oecophylla. Over 80% of the farmers involved in on-farm research, compared to 25% of those not involved, reported Oecophylla to be beneficial. All fruit-pickers knew that ants protected mango from fruit flies, with 60% attributing better mango quality in terms of appearance, shelf-life and sweetness to the presence of Oecophylla. Nevertheless, 40% of the pickers still considered weaver ants a nuisance pest during harvest. Ways of reducing this nuisance need to be developed for Oecophylla to gain wider acceptance by mango-growers. 2008-07 2018-02-06T12:15:00Z 2018-02-06T12:15:00Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/90840 en Limited Access Informa UK Limited Sinzogan, A.A.C., Van Mele, P. & Vayssières, J.F. (2008). Implications of on-farm research for local knowledge related to fruit flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production. International Journal of Pest Management, 54(3), 241-246.
spellingShingle farmer knowledge
labourer
fruit fly
oecophylla longinoda
weaver ants
conservation biological control
on-farm research
mango
Sinzogan, A.A.C.
Mele, P. van
Vayssières, Jean-François
Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production
title Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production
title_full Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production
title_fullStr Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production
title_full_unstemmed Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production
title_short Implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production
title_sort implications of on farm research for local knowledge related to fruits flies and the weaver ant oecophylla longinoda in mango production
topic farmer knowledge
labourer
fruit fly
oecophylla longinoda
weaver ants
conservation biological control
on-farm research
mango
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/90840
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AT melepvan implicationsofonfarmresearchforlocalknowledgerelatedtofruitsfliesandtheweaverantoecophyllalonginodainmangoproduction
AT vayssieresjeanfrancois implicationsofonfarmresearchforlocalknowledgerelatedtofruitsfliesandtheweaverantoecophyllalonginodainmangoproduction