Tropicultura (Jan 2002)
A Survey of the Insect Pests and Farmers' Practices in the Cropping of Tomato in Nigeria
Abstract
A survey of some tomato producing areas of Nigeria indicated that the major insects attacking tomato included the fruit borer Helicoverpa armigera Hübner, the grasshopper Zonocerus variegatus L., the whitefly Bemisia tabacci Gennadius, and various species of aphids, mostly Aphis gossypii Glover. Interviews conducted to assess farmers' practices which contribute to insect damage showed that inappropriate application of insecticides and the use of wrong dosages may have contributed to insect control failures. Intercropping tomato with crops such as cereals tubers and other vegetables reduced infestation in some areas. However, most farmers' practices did not affect insect pest abundance. Insect populations and percentages of infestation were, in most cases, found to be significantly higher in Oyo state (in the rain forest agro-ecological zone) than in other surveyed states located in the savannah agro-ecological zones.
