Study of the influence of physico-chemical characteristics of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) stem on its varietal vulnerability to termites ravaging cuttings Odontotermes sp. aff. Erraticus

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) includes a multitude of varieties different by several parameters, each of them with specific characteristics. Some of these varietal specificities may constitute the seat of an influence on the vulnerability of this plant to stresses. In this present study, we proposed to assess the impact of physico-chemical parameters of the cassava stem on its varietal sensitivity to termites ravaging cuttings Odontotermes sp. aff. erraticus in Senegal. At the end of experiments conducted in laboratory, we have seen that the cassava varieties in which the stem bark was thick and hard with a reduced diameter of the marrow were more tolerant to the action of these pests, while those with thin and fragile bark and large stem marrow were more sensible. However the pH of the cassava stem did not affect the incidence of attack of the cuttings by the termites.