Study of Some Biodemographic Parameters of <i>Caryedon serratus</i> Olivier (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Insect Pest of Tamarind (<i>Tamarindus indica</i> Lin.) Fruit, in Burkina Faso

Abstract

The lack of food security leads us to turn to the riches of the forest, namely non-timber forest products (NTFP) and timber forest products (TFP). In Burkina, these products are a source of income for families, improving their living conditions. Tamarindus indica L. that is a NFTP, is widely used in both rural and urban areas. Unfortunately, tamarind is subject to attack by Caryedon serratus. Its biological activity begins on the fruit before the harvest. The aim of our study is to evaluate some biodemographic parameters of the insect pest C. serratus Olivier. First100 healthy T. indica pods were placed in contact with ten pairs of C. serratus for 24 hours. 25 pods, each carrying a maximum of two eggs, were divided into five batches of 5 pods. Then a pair of C. serratus aged less than 24 h was placed in contact with 4 healthy pods for 24 h. Every day, the pair was removed and transferred to another box containing 4 new healthy pods. A total of 20 replicates were performed. The results showed that C. serratus has an average lifespan of 14 days. However, the female ( 16days) lived longer and laid an average of 34 eggs during her lifetime. The egg-laying period lasted 14 days, the number of eggs increased until reaching a maximum peak on the 4 th day. C. serratus has an embryonic development time of 3 days and an emergence rate of 66.63%. However, the weight of males and females differed significantly (p = 0.0108). We found an intrinsic rate of natural increase of 0.12 and a population doubling time was 5.68 days. These results have enabled us to gain a better understanding of its development cycle and its capacity for regeneration. This allows us to implement control strategies for better stock protection.