Effect of the corn-bean crop association on populations of Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval, 1833 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the southern part of the groundnut basin

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widely grown cereals in the world (America, Africa, Europe...) because of its numerous advantages: food, alcoholic drinks, etc. However, its production is low in Senegal. This is the context in which this study was undertaken. It aims to contribute to improving maize productivity in order to achieve food sovereignty in Senegal, particularly in the southern part of the Peanut Basin. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of maize-bean crop association on populations of Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval, 1833. The methodology adopted consisted of monitoring the dynamics of Spodoptera littoralis populations in associated and not associated plots. Results showed that S. littoralis was more abundant in the control plots compared to those of the crops combination (155 versus 118). It was more common in the control plots (62.50% versus 50%). S. littoralis populations were also reduced by 13.55% in the plots of associated crops. Thus, corn-bean association reduces S. littoralis populations but has no effect on ears number per plant.