Suchergebnisse

A survey was conducted between December 2008 and March 2009 with the objective of determining the incidence of Webworm, (Loxostege massalis Walker) larvae infesting date palm (Phoenix dactylifera (L.) fruits. The study was carried out using structured questionnaire with one hundred and thirty-five date palm fruit vendors interviewed at three different business locations viz: markets, mosques and motor parks in three local government areas (LGAs) each of Katsina, Kano and Jigawa States. Results obtained clearly indicated the incidence of L. massalis larvae in date palm fruits sold in all the three States surveyed with Katsina and Kano States having the highest (5.16%) and lowest (3.33%) incidence, respectively. There was significant difference (P lessthanorequalto 0.05) in the number of larvae found in Katsina State compared to Kano and Jigawa States. Similarly, the number of fruits with larvae based on LGAs shows that, Katsina LGA was found to be significantly higher in number of larvae of L. massalis (P lessthanorequalto 0.05) compared with other LGAs in the States surveyed. There was also a significant difference (P lessthanorequalto 0.05) among the business locations with mosques having significantly lower number of date palm fruits larvae compared to markets and motor parks. The findings of this study clearly confirmed the incidence of L. massalis in marketed date palm fruits in the states surveyed with 3.95% damage to the total number of fruits collected indicating that, the insect is not of major economic importance. However, research is needed for its management. Keywords: Business location, Date palm, Incidence, Loxostege massalis and Webworm