| dc.description |
ice yellow mottle virus (RYMV), endemic to Africa, is spread
within and between rice fields by several species of Chrysomelid beetles and
grasshoppers. In Tanzania and particularly in Morogoro, the virus is
increasingly becoming a serious problem to rice production. The part of the
field and developmental stage of rice at which RYMV vectors are
predominantly abundant were not known since the need for the study. The
assessment of population abundance of RYMV insect vectors were conducted
in the three divisions of Mngeta, Ifakara and Mang’ula of Kilombero district,
in Morogoro Tanzania using sweep net in 4 m 2 quadrats. Results revealed the
highest abundance of two RYMV vectors, Oxya hyla Serville, 1831 and
Chaetocnema sp, on the border parts of the rice fields rather than in the middle
parts. The study established that the density of RYMV vectors was dependent
on crop growth stages where the number of vectors increased with increase in
crop age and it is concluded that the two insects are the main vectors of
RYMV in the study area. |
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