Author(s)

Younous Wakaï Djimmy¹, Souleymane Nacro^2,3*

¹Département des Productions Végétales, Institut du Développement Rural (IDR), Université Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
²Fondation Fasobiocarburant, Léo, Burkina Faso.
³Institut de l’Environnementet de Recherches Agricoles, CREAF Kamboinsé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Jatropha curcas L. is a non-edible oleaginous plant of Euphorbiacea family. Its seeds provide oil for industrial use, and when grown as a biofuel, J. curcas can be used to restore degraded soil by improving their fertility and by controlling water and wind erosion. The plant also reduces CO₂ emission by carbon sequestration. However, J. curcas is attacked by many insect pests including C. panaethiopica, a polyphagous heteroptera of the Scutelleridae family. Larvae and adults of the insect pest feed on J. curcas flowers, fruit, and seeds, thereby causing quantitative and qualitative losses. Despite the economic importance of this insect pest, there is little known about its potential natural enemies. A survey of the natural enemies of C. panaethiopica was carried out from 3rd June 2013 to 29th May 2014 on three J. curcas production sites in the South-Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso. Three Hymenopteran egg parasitoids all belonging to the Scelionidae family were found. These included Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston), Psixstriaticeps (Dodd), and Gryon sp. Several predator species belonging to the Araneae, Tarachodidae and Mantidae families were also found. The egg parasitism increased progressively between June and September 2013, reaching a peak (43%) in September 2013. The number of spiders and mantises was higher between July and August 2013. The highest numbers of natural enemies associated with the insect pest were recorded in J. curcas monoculture plantations.

Burkina Faso, Survey, Jatropha curcas, Natural Enemies, Calidea panaethiopica

Djimmy, Y. and Nacro, S. (2016) Natural Enemies of Calidea panaethiopica (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae): An Insect Pest of Jatropha curcas L. in the South-Sudanian Zone of Burkina Faso. Advances in Entomology, 4, 201-211. doi: 10.4236/ae.2016.44021.