Phonoctonus lutescens which is a predator of Dysdercus voëlkeri (Schmidt, 1932) is present in cotton fields at the same time as its prey, D. voëlkeri. The objective of this study was to see which of the biological control or chemical control programs spares and maintains the potentially beneficial insects, especially P. lutescens. This study was conducted at three sites: Farako Bâ site located in the southern Sudanian zone and has geographical coordinates between 04˚20' West and 11˚06' North. The site of Kombissiri with 12'04'' North and 1'20'' West as geographical coordinates. The site of Kouaré with the following coordinates: 11'56'' North and 0'17'' East. The design was a 2000 m 2 paired trial subdivided into 3 subplots of 640 m 2 on the three sites. The sample area is repeated 4 times in each plot. All data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS software (version 22.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, Usa). When significance occurred, means were separated by Bonferroni test (p < 0.05). All data were presented as the mean ± standard errors with 3 replications. For insect pests, conventional cotton was more affected by whitefly with 0.42 ± 1.10 and organic cotton by jassids with 0.75 ± 1.66 at Farako bâ. The untreated plot was significantly less infested at Kombissiri with 0.25 ± 1.38 Dysdercus voëlkeri than at the other sites. In Fada, the organic cotton was more infested by whitefly larvae and jassid flies, with respectively 0.73 ± 2.25 and 0.22 ± 0.54 plants attacked on average.
The study was conducted at the agricultural experimental station of Farako-Bâ, specifically in the Cotton Program. Insects were collected in Farako-Bâ field and raised in the Cotton Program. Dysdercus voëlkeri Schmidt is one of cotton cultivation main pests in Burkina Faso. The control of this devastating cotton bug is based on chemical using. For researching alternative solutions, a part of the biological control method was investigated by using Phonoctonus lutescens which is D. vöelkeri natural enemy, in order to develop a biological control method. To understand the bioecology of P. lutescens, our study has been carried out on this insect under laboratory conditions when it was feed on its prey which is D. voëlkeri. The results have demonstrated that the pre-copulation period is 9.33 ± 2.14 days. The oviposition period is 6.97 ± 1.47 days, after which 366.73 ± 27.43 eggs on average are laid with 92.33% ± 4% hatchability.From hatching to adult stage, P. lutescens larvae development goes through five stages with variable durations according to the stage. The results showed that the development cycle lasted 57.23 ± 5.81 days at a temperature of 27.5˚C ± 2˚C and a relative humidity of 42% ± 3%. Survival rates ranged from 92% to 97.47%. Males and females lived respectively 87.5 ± 27.99 days and 107.97 ± 24.21 days. These results could permit a better use of P. lutescens through a mass rearing and an optimization of D. voëlkeri biological control.
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