Effect of natural aerial crown connections between leaves and branches of coconut palms and interplanted citrus trees on interactions between Pheidole megacephala Fabricius and Oecophylla longinoda Latreille

Abstract

The effect of natural aerial crown interconnections between coconut palms and interplanted citrus on survival and movements, of Oecophylla longinoda colonies between the trees was studied in a coconut-citrus  plantaiion at Kiimbwanindi in Tanzania.  The overlapping leaves and branches of coconut and citrus trees facilitated movements of O. longinoda from the dirus trees  to coconut palms and effected control of the coconut bug Pseudotheraptus wayi. Crown connections also enabled, O. longinoda to forage between citrus and coconut palms aerially by by-passing the ground nesting inimical ant, Pheidole megacephala. In the absence of crown connections P. megacephala normally prevented establishment of O. longinoda. Moreover when crown connections were lost an O. longinoda colony became isolated and was easily displaced by P. megacephala. Interplanting coconut with citrus is economically useful and is also a sustainable way of managing P. wayi through the encouragement of O. longinoda. Smallholder farmers are strongly advised to adop the cultural practice in order to effect protection of their coconut from P. wayi. It is a cost effective method because farmers do not have to use insecticides to reduce populations of P. megacephala.

Keywords: Oecophylla longinoda, Pheidole megacephala, Pseudotheraptus wayi, colony, forage

Tanzania. J. Agric. Sc. (1999) Vol.2 No.l, 107-113