Anato F M, Sinzogan A A C, Offenberg J, Adandonon A, Wargui R B, Deguenon J M, Ayelo P M, Vayssières J-F, Kossou D K
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, 03 BP 2819 Cotonou, République du Bénin (
Corresponding author, e-mail:
J Econ Entomol. 2017 Jun 1;110(3):1133-1137. doi: 10.1093/jee/tox054.
Weaver ants, Oecophylla spp., are known to positively affect cashew, Anacardium occidentale L., raw nut yield, but their effects on the kernels have not been reported. We compared nut size and the proportion of marketable kernels between raw nuts collected from trees with and without ants. Raw nuts collected from trees with weaver ants were 2.9% larger than nuts from control trees (i.e., without weaver ants), leading to 14% higher proportion of marketable kernels. On trees with ants, the kernel: raw nut ratio from nuts damaged by formic acid was 4.8% lower compared with nondamaged nuts from the same trees. Weaver ants provided three benefits to cashew production by increasing yields, yielding larger nuts, and by producing greater proportions of marketable kernel mass.
织叶蚁（Oecophylla spp.）已知对腰果（Anacardium occidentale L.）生坚果产量有积极影响，但其对果仁的影响尚未见报道。我们比较了有蚁树和无蚁树采集的生坚果的大小以及可销售果仁的比例。从有织叶蚁的树上采集的生坚果比对照树（即无织叶蚁的树）的坚果大2.9%，可销售果仁的比例高出14%。在有蚁的树上，被甲酸损坏的坚果的果仁与生坚果的比例比同一棵树上未受损坚果低4.8%。织叶蚁通过提高产量、产出更大的坚果以及产出更大比例的可销售果仁质量，为腰果生产带来了三个好处。
