TITLE:
Influence of Weather Factors on Seasonal Population Dynamics of Coelaenomenodera elaeidis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and Its Natural Enemies in NIFOR, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
T. I. Aneni, C. I. Aisagbonhi, B. N. Iloba, V. C. Adaigbe, C. O. Ogbebor
KEYWORDS:
Seasonality; Coelaenomenodera elaeidis; Oil Palm, Weather Variables; Pest Management
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
9,
2014
ABSTRACT:
The leaf miner (Coelaenomenodera elaeidis) is the major pest of the oil palm.
Seasonality of C. elaeidis, its
natural enemies and their relationship with temperature, rainfall and relative
humidity were observed between January
2009 and December 2010 at the main station of the Nigerian Institute for Oil
Palm Research. Leaf miner population estimates were obtained from NIFOR
entomology division from 1976-1980. This
study analyses temporal patterns in leaf miner abundance, and elucidates
general patterns and factors influencing leaf miner abundance. Multiple linear
regressions were used to analyse the relationship between abundance of leaf
miner, its parasitoids and predators and the following climatic variables:
maximum and minimum temperature (°C), rainfall (mm) and
relative humidity (%). Climate variables from the month of pest collection
(control variable) or from the month before collection (delayed variable) were
used. The abundance of leaf miner and predatory ants peaked in the dry season,
while parasitoids were most abundant in the rainy season. Significant
correlations (P ≤ 0.05) were found between leaf miner, its natural enemies and
both control and delayed weather variables. For all years, maximum temperature
was the most dominant for all the leaf miner stages. This indicates that the
weather variables at both the month of collection and with a delayed month in
relation to collection are critical for
pest-weather evaluation and important for leaf miner control. Temperature,
rainfall and relative humidity had an effect on the population of C. elaeidis, and this effect is
manifested primarily in seasonal fluctuations in oil palm agroecosystems.
Weather influenced the seasonal population dynamics of C. elaeidis, facilitating early season build-up on the oil palm
host crop. Dry season months with resultant higher temperatures recorded higher
population of C. elaeidis.