Prevalence of Termites and Level of Their Damage on Major Field Crops and Rangeland in Manasibu District, Western Ethiopia
| dc.contributor.advisor | Jembere, Bekele (PhD) | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Mengistu, Seyoum (PhD) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Djirata, Ofgaa | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-07-09T12:07:14Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-11-08T16:32:56Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-07-09T12:07:14Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-11-08T16:32:56Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2004-06 | |
| dc.description.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. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/7372 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | en_US |
| dc.subject | Field crops | en_US |
| dc.subject | Prevalence | en_US |
| dc.subject | Rangeland | en_US |
| dc.subject | Termite. | en_US |
| dc.title | Prevalence of Termites and Level of Their Damage on Major Field Crops and Rangeland in Manasibu District, Western Ethiopia | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |