Farmers' knowledge and perceptions of termites as pests of yam (Dioscorea spp.) in Central Benin

ABSTRACT

Destruction of yam (Dioscorea spp.) tubers by termites is a major constraint to yam production in Central Benin. To obtain the basic information for the development of appropriate strategies of termites management in yam, a structured questionnaire was used to interview 142 farmers about their knowledge of termite species of yam, susceptibility of yam landraces, and management practices in 14 villages through the study area. A total of 45 vernaculars names of termites were recorded corresponding to 10 species. All the names given to termite species had a signification, mainly related to morphological aspects, type of damage, and termite caste. Eleven features were used by farmers to identify yam termites. The infestation of yam fields mostly occurred from October to April with Amitermes evuncifer and Trinevitermes oeconomus being the most damaging termite species. Overall, eight factors were identified by farmers as favouring the proliferation of termites in yam fields with drought being the most frequently reported factor. Farmers identified 11 yam landraces that were highly susceptible to termites attack, while 12 yam landraces were listed as resistant. Application of chemicals was the most commonly reported control method, followed by destruction of termite nest, and application of botanical extracts. According to farmers, the high multiplication rate of termites is the most important constraint in managing the issue of termites in yam.

KEYWORDS:

• Folk taxonomy
• pest management
• resistant landraces
• termites
• vernacular nomenclature

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was carried out with the support of Belgian National Focal Point to the Global Taxonomy Initiative ([email protected]). We sincerely thank Dr Marie Lucie SUSINI Manager of this program at the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium for funding the first author's training in the identification of termite species in Belgium.