Prevalence of Termites and Level of Their Damage on Major Field Crops and Rangeland in Manasibu District, Western Ethiopia
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Date
2004-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Current status of termite damage on maize (Zea mays), teff (Eragrostis lej), sorghum (SorghulIl
vulgare), and rangelands was studied in Manasibu District, western Ethiopia. Investigation was
made in five Kebele administrations, within three farmers' fields in each Kebele administration,
for each study crop.Questiormaires were used to get baseline information from knowledgeable elders of farming
community of the study sites. Percentages of responses to the questiOimaires were considered as
supplementary ideas in discussing the results obtained from field investigation. Termite samples were collected from infested study crops and rangelands, and identified to genus
level by the use of key to the Ethiopian termites. Six genera of termites: Ancistrolermes,
Macrotennes, Microtennes, Odontotermes, Pseudacanthotermes and Trinervitermes were
identified. The first five genera belonged to subfamily Maerotermitinae whereas Trinervilermes
belonged to Nasutitermitinae. All of the genera were identified to belong to the family
Termitidae. The number of samples of evelY genus identified was divided by total number of
identified samples, and the percentage was taken as percentage occurrence for each respective
genus. It was found that subterranean termites in general and Microtennes in pariicular, were the
most prevalent termites in the study area.
The damages that termites caused to maize and sorghum were assessed by using quadrates, and
by laying wooden frames in the quadrates for teff. For all the three crops, damages were assessed
at vegetative, flowering, and maturity stages.It was found that, the levels at which the tluee field crops were damaged by termites were
significantly different from each other. Teff was the most seriously damaged crop in the study
area. Damages at vegetative, flowering and maturity stages, within each crop, were also found to
be significantly different from each other. On the other hand, when the levels of termite damages
to the crops were compared between the five Kebeles, it was found that the differences were not
significant.To evaluate impact of termites on rangelands, in the absence and presence of grazing effects by
livestock, three plots of rangelands were fenced and protected for six months. It was found that
percent of cover vegetation and number of termite foraging holes per m2 in the protected and
unprotected plots of rangelands were significantly different.
Key words /phrases: Field crops, Prevalence, Rangeland, Termite.
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Keywords
Field crops, Prevalence, Rangeland, Termite.