Olaboro Samuel, Kyamanywa Samuel, Lutaakome Moses, Paparu Pamela, Halerimana Charles, Nkalubo Stanley Tamusange, Otim Michael Hilary
National Crops Resources Research Institute, Namulonge, Kampala P.O. Box 7084, Uganda.
Department of Agricultural Production, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda.
Insects. 2024 Jul 10;15(7):516. doi: 10.3390/insects15070516.
The bean leaf beetle (BLB) ( spp.) is a polyphagous pest causing significant yield losses in Uganda, particularly in the Northern and Eastern regions on various hosts plants. Despite its polyphagous behaviour, the BLB exhibits preferential feeding, offering an opportunity for targeted pest management. This study explored its feeding preferences across seven crops: common bean, cowpea, greengram, okra, roselle (), groundnuts, and soybean. This study was conducted in Arua and Lira districts using a randomized complete block design for two rainy seasons (2018A and 2018B). The results showed significant differences in BLB abundance and foliar damage among host crops, locations, days after planting and seasons. Cowpea was the most preferred crop while groundnuts was the least preferred. Therefore, cowpea can be recommended for use as a trap for managing spp. in gardens where it is not the main crop. There was a higher pest abundance in Arua than in Lira. There was also a higher pest abundance in 2018A than in 2018B. These findings highlight the importance of understanding BLB's feeding preferences for implementing effective IPM strategies, emphasizing the potential role of trap cropping, especially with cowpea, to minimize BLB damage in resource-constrained agricultural settings.
豆叶甲（BLB）（多种）是一种多食性害虫，在乌干达造成了严重的产量损失，特别是在北部和东部地区的各种寄主植物上。尽管其具有多食性，但豆叶甲表现出偏好取食，这为有针对性的害虫管理提供了机会。本研究探讨了其在七种作物上的取食偏好：普通豆、豇豆、绿豆、秋葵、玫瑰茄（）、花生和大豆。本研究在阿鲁阿和利拉地区进行，采用随机完全区组设计，为期两个雨季（2018A和2018B）。结果表明，寄主作物、地点、种植后天数和季节之间，豆叶甲的数量和叶片损伤存在显著差异。豇豆是最受偏好的作物，而花生是最不受偏好的作物。因此，在不是主要作物的花园中，豇豆可被推荐用作诱捕豆叶甲的作物来进行管理。阿鲁阿的害虫数量高于利拉。2018A年的害虫数量也高于2018B年。这些发现凸显了了解豆叶甲取食偏好对于实施有效的综合害虫管理策略的重要性，强调了诱集作物，特别是豇豆，在资源有限的农业环境中减少豆叶甲危害的潜在作用。
