Arthropod Diversity and Assessment of Damage in Forage Crop Species Cultivated in Burkina Faso

Abstract

In Burkina Faso, despite its socio-economic importance, livestock farming faces a number of constraints, including a shortage of animal feed. To cope with this shortage, several forage species are imported and cultivated. However, some producers note that fodder is increasingly subject to insect attack. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity and arthropod abundance associated with forages grown in Burkina Faso. A trapping system consisting in water traps was set up in seven fields where different fodder crops were cultivated to measure insect diversity and abundance. In addition, damage caused by arthropods on each fodder crops species was evaluated on 30 plants in each field. The arthropods specimens caught belonged to 67 families and 11 orders. The orders of Diptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera were the predominant. Regarding arthropods functional groups, predators and insect pests were the most dominant in fodder crop fields. The attack severity varied from 25 to 43.06% according the fodder crop species taken into account. Further studies are needed to identify the insect pests responsible for the damage observed on forages in order to develop control strategies.