Insect and avian threats to the industrial production of balanites fruit in Eritrea
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Insect and avian threats to the industrial production of balanites fruit in Eritrea M. Abid Hussain 1
&
Tufail Ahmad 2 & Todd Gilligan 3
Received: 13 May 2020 / Accepted: 18 September 2020 # African Association of Insect Scientists 2020
Abstract Balanites fruit pulp and seed kernel contain considerable amount of steroidal saponins, which are used as raw material for the production of pharmaceutical drugs. However, insect and avian pests are the key limiting factors in balanites production. This study was conducted to record the causal insect and avian pests and level of their infestation. Balanites fruits fallen on the ground were collected at regular intervals for two fruiting seasons at Keren, Eritrea. The fruits were put in polybags and stored at room temperature. The emerging insects were counted and percent infestation was calculated. The insects identified were balanites stone borer, Eublemma (= Eupsoropsis) robertsi (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) and carob moth, Apomyelois (=Ectomyelois) ceratoniae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Eublemma robertsi larva consumed the kernel and bored into the stone with one exit hole (ca. 3 mm) at pre-pupal stage whereas A. ceratoniae larvae infested and contaminated fruit pulp with faecal waste. More than 70% of fruits collected during October and November were infested by E. robertsi and oviposition of 1–3 eggs were found on 73% of examined fruits. Damage from A. ceratoniae was unnoticeable in field-collected fruits but larval infestation was observable after one month of storage. The speckled mousebird, Colius striatus (Coliiformes: Coliidae), was the most frequent avian visitor, which not only nibbled on fruits attached to branches but also caused drop of fruits to the ground. Fruit damage caused by birds ranged 58 to 95% during the two fruiting seasons. Keywords Apomyelois ceratoniae . Balanites aegyptiaca . Balanites stone borer . Carob moth . Colius striatus . Desert date . Eublemma robertsi . Speckled mousebird
Introduction Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile (Zygophyllaceae), commonly known as “desert date” or simply “balanites,” is a drought tolerant evergreen tree. It is widely grown in dryland areas of the Sudano-Sahelian region of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia (Hall and Walker 1991; NRC 2008; CABI 2020). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-020-00283-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * M. Abid Hussain [email protected] 1
Bionema Limited, Institute of Life Science 1, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
2
Department of Plant Protection, Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Keren, Eritrea
3
Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
In Eritrea, balanites is more common at lower altitudes, e.g., in Hazemo plains and Mereb valley and around Molki, Tokombia, Shambuko, upper Barka, Daerotai, Begu, Afabet, Dongolo and Ghinda (Bein et al. 1996). Although there is no
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