Abstract

Farmers' knowledge of major insect pests and their occurrence in cocoa plantations in Ghana as well as common practices of farmers to control these pests were assessed. It was found that 52%, 41%, and 74% of the respondents could not recognize mirid bug (Sahlbergella singularis), stink bug (Bathycoelia thalassina), and coreid bug (Pseudotheraptus devastans), respectively, when they saw these insects in pictures. Also, over 50% of the respondents could not describe the damage symptoms of mirid bugs. Farmers who accurately identified insect pests mostly observed a peak in the presence and damage of mirid bugs in August, and high presence of stink bugs and coreid bugs from April to June on cocoa farms. Most respondents (72%) mentioned the use of insecticides for pest management in their farms without any support by local institutes. Training is needed to enhance farmers' knowledge of the biology and behaviour of key pests in cocoa for effective pest management. A participatory research approach is also necessary to increase farmers' competence in the identification of those key pests and improve pest control practices. Consideration of these observations from farmers is necessary to support a review of the insecticide spray recommendation on cocoa farms in Ghana.

摘要

评估了农民对主要害虫及其在加纳可可种植园中发生的知识，以及农民控制这些害虫的常见做法。结果发现，52%、41% 和 74% 的受访者无法识别泥臭虫 ( Sahlbergella singularis )、臭虫 ( Bathycoelia thalassina ) 和核心臭虫 ( Pseudotheraptus devastans ))，分别是当他们在图片中看到这些昆虫时。此外，超过 50% 的受访者无法描述小虫的危害症状。准确识别害虫的农民大多在 8 月观察到 mirid bug 的存在和损害的高峰，以及 4 月至 6 月在可可农场中大量出现臭虫和 coreid 虫。大多数受访者 (72%) 提到在没有当地机构支持的情况下，在他们的农场使用杀虫剂进行害虫管理。需要通过培训来提高农民对可可主要害虫的生物学和行为的了解，以实现有效的害虫管理。还需要采用参与式研究方法来提高农民识别这些主要害虫的能力并改进害虫防治措施。