| dc.description |
A study was conducted at Kikwe ward in Arumeru District of Arusha region to assess the
effects of Cupressus lusitanica, Tephrosia vogelii, Eucalpytus dalrympleana, Lantana
camara and Azadirachta indica in managing destructive termite species. Termite samples
were collected from maize farms and trees within the ward and were identified at the Tropical
Pesticides Research Institute. Different rates of powders weighing 5g, 10g and 20g of each
botanical per 5 kg of termite infested soils were tested for their effects on termite mortality
and repellency in the laboratory using a completely randomized design (CRD) with three
replications. In field trials, a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four
replications was used in three different sites within the ward. Following laboratory studies,
20g of leaf powder from each treatment was applied around maize plants and monitored for
every 14 days. The results showed that, there were five morphologically different termite
species in the study area, two of which were identified as Macrotermes and Odontotermes
and the rest were not identified based on the available capacity. The results also showed that,
powders from T. vogelii, C. lusitanica and E. dalrympleana were effective in managing
termites and significant different (p<0.001) from other plants. Such results highlight
potentiality of developing bio-termiticides from T. vogelii, C. lusitanica and E. dalrympleana
in the country. Further studies are recommended on characterizing termite species that were
not identified in this study and on identification of chemical ingredients from the identified
effective plants for formulation of bio-termiticides in Tanzania. |
|