Effects of defoliation by the edible caterpillar ‘‘chitoumou’’ (Cirina butyrospermi) on harvests of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and growth of maize (Zea mays)

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dc.contributor.authorPayne, Charlotte
dc.contributor.authorBadolo, Athanase
dc.contributor.authorSagnon, Bakary
dc.contributor.authorCox, Sioned
dc.contributor.authorPearson, Sally
dc.contributor.authorSanon, Antoine
dc.contributor.authorBationo, Fernand
dc.contributor.authorBalmford, Andrew
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-31T23:47:29Z
dc.date.available2023-01-31T23:47:29Z
dc.date.issued2020-02
dc.description© The Author(s) 2019. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Version of Scholarly Record of this Article is published in Agroforestry Systems, 2020, available online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-019-00385-5 . Keywords: agroforestry; edible insects; Africa; Burkina Faso; shea; maize; chitoumou.
dc.description.abstractEdible insects are found in agricultural systems worldwide, and are an important source of food and income. However, many edible insects are also pests of important food crops, which raises the question of how far their presence might be costly to farmers in terms of reduced crop yields. In this study we aimed to understand the impact of defoliation of shea trees by edible caterpillars on yields of shea and maize in a mixed agroforestry system in Burkina Faso, West Africa. We collected field data in two consecutive years. Our results suggest that tree defoliation by caterpillars has no effect on shea fruit yields, and that defoliation may have a positive effect on maize productivity. We conclude that this appears to be an example of an agricultural system in which nutritionally and economically important plants and insects are both harvested by humans without risking yield reductions of harvested plants.
dc.description.sponsorshipWe would like to thank Baly Ouattara, Kahit Hien, Poda Nambepierre and Madou Ouattara for providing field support and facilitation, making this study possible. We thank our field assistants Momoni Ouattara, Baya Ouattara and Sanou Afsietta, for their assistance with data collection. We thank all of the households in Soumosso and Sitiena whose hospitality and generosity enabled us to work in their fields. We also thank the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK (NERC), King’s College, Cambridge, and the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, for financial support.
dc.identifier.citationPayne, C., Badolo, A., Sagnon, B., Cox, S., Pearson, S., Sanon, A., Bationo, F., & Balmford, A. (2020). Effects of defoliation by the edible caterpillar “chitoumou” (Cirina butyrospermi) on harvests of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and growth of maize (Zea mays). Agroforestry Systems, 94, 231–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-019-00385-5
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-019-00385-5
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14096/231
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.titleEffects of defoliation by the edible caterpillar ‘‘chitoumou’’ (Cirina butyrospermi) on harvests of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and growth of maize (Zea mays)
dc.typeArticle

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