Author(s)

Rayim Wendé Alice Nare^1*, Paul Windinpsidi Savadogo², Mamoudou Traore², André Gountan³, Hassan Bismarck Nacro³, Michel Papaoba Sedogo²

¹Département des Substances Naturelles, Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies (IRSAT), Ouagadou-gou, Burkina Faso.
²Laboratoire Sol-Eau-Plante, Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
³Laboratoire d’Etude et de Recherche sur la Fertilité des Sols (LERF), Université Polytechnique de Bobo Dioulasso (UPB), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

Insects attack vegetable crop, leading to an overuse of pesticides. Organic amendments are recommended to increase soil fertility. The impact of two insecticides, on soil macrofauna under rainfed cultivation of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) with or without organic amendments was evaluated. The insecticides were Lambda Super (lambda-cyhalothrin) and Dursban (chlorpyrifos ethyl) and organic amendments were compost, pig manure and cattle manure. An experimental device in split-plot with three replicate was installed. Pesticides were applied periodically each week during the experiment. The results have showed that with organic amendments, Lambda super increased the earthworm population compared to the control. Indeed, we found 42 individuals/m² with compost; 1 individuals/m² with pig manure and 27 individuals/m² with cattle manure but the control was 0 individuals/m² in the presence of Lambda super without organic amendment. Similarly, Dursban increased the population of earthworms in the presence of organic amendment with 11, 37 and 91 individuals/m² respectively for compost, pig manure and cattle manure. Lambda super with compost has led to a total elimination of termites. In the presence of Dursban, a decrease in the number of termites was observed when adding cattle manure (11 individuals/ m²) compared to the control containing only Dursban (21 individuals/m²). Better distribution of macrofauna was obtained with treatment with Dursban and compost (E = 0.99 for earthworms and E = 0.96 for termites). All organic amendments used in our study stimulated earthworm population, but more in the presence of Lambda super or Dursban.

Pesticides, Organic Amendment, Soil Macrofauna, Burkina Faso

Nare, R. , Savadogo, P. , Traore, M. , Gountan, A. , Nacro, H. and Sedogo, M. (2017) Soil Macrofauna Behaviour in the Presence of Pesticides and Organic Amendments. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 5, 202-212. doi: 10.4236/gep.2017.53014.