Entomological Infestation and Evolution of Peanut Losses during Storage in Northern Côte d’Ivoire
Franceline Doh *
Biological Sciences Unity, Department of Animal Biology, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly, P.O. Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire and Laboratory of Environment, Climate, Health, Engineering and Sustainable Development (LECSI2D), Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University, P.O. Box 1328, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire.
Yalamoussa Tuo
Biological Sciences Unity, Department of Animal Biology, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly, P.O. Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire and Laboratory of Environment, Climate, Health, Engineering and Sustainable Development (LECSI2D), Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University, P.O. Box 1328, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire.
Drissa Coulibaly
Biological Sciences Unity, Department of Animal Biology, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly, P.O. Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire and Laboratory of Environment, Climate, Health, Engineering and Sustainable Development (LECSI2D), Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University, P.O. Box 1328, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire.
Maï-Aïchata Sanogo
Biological Sciences Unity, Department of Animal Biology, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly, P.O. Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire and Laboratory of Environment, Climate, Health, Engineering and Sustainable Development (LECSI2D), Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University, P.O. Box 1328, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important food commodity in Côte d’Ivoire, and its storage helps ensure its availability beyond the harvest period. However, stored peanuts are exposed to various insect infestations that may result in quantitative and qualitative losses. This study aimed to identify the main insect pests associated with stored peanuts in the Korhogo Department and to assess the evolution of infestation and losses during storage. A survey was conducted with 120 participants in the sector, including 90 producers and 30 traders, distributed across three villages and three markets. Shelled and unshelled peanut samples were then monitored for 90 days in an insectarium. Adult insects were collected at the beginning of storage and again after 45 and 90 days. A total of seven species belonging to two orders and seven families were identified: Caryedon serratus, Rhyzopertha dominica, Sitophilus zeamais, Tribolium castaneum, Cathartus quadricollis, Carpophilus dimidiatus, and Sitotroga cerealella. C. serratus was predominant, with a relative abundance of 93.02%, followed by T. castaneum (4.84%) and R. dominica (1.41%). The infestation rate, initially ranging from 6.90 to 10.74% in the unshelled samples and from 7.00 to 10.22% in the samples collected from the markets, reached 59.73–76.71% and 43.72–76.73%, respectively, after 90 days. Weight losses reached 20.91% of the samples studied. Diversity indices varied among sites, with the highest Shannon values recorded at Drogo (0.470) and the large Market (0.503). These results highlight the importance of C. serratus in the deterioration of stored peanuts and highlight the need to improve storage practices and develop integrated management strategies adapted to local conditions.
Keywords: Arachis hypogaea, Caryedon serratus, groundnut, stored-product insects, infestation dynamics, post-harvest losses, weight loss, species richness