Iris Publishers Agriculture Soil Science

  Reassessing the impact of Food, Mating and Ageing on Callosobruchus maculatus ’ Fecundity, Oviposition and Longevity Authored by  Beck Arebamen Akhiwu Callosobruchus maculatus, commonly known as Bean weevil, is an agricultural insect pest of both field and storage crop in Africa, Asia and most parts of the world. They cause serious economic damage to cowpea seed and other leguminous crops throughout the tropical and subtropical world. Understanding the biology of C. maculatus is very important in the control of this insect pest. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of feeding, mating, and aging on the fecundity and lifespan of the insect. C. maculatus was subjected to different feeding modes and mating. Daily weight was taken and recorded. The ability of ageing males to fertilize virgin females was investigated. This research is the first to investigate the effects of nutrients and ageing on the longevity and fecundity of C. maculatus. Data was collected and a...

The Untapped Mystery and Potentials in Termites Authored by Beck Arebamen Akhiwu Introduction Termite (Termitoidae) is one of the most underrated and disrespected insects. The positive impacts of termites have not yet well explored. Termites belong to Order: Blattodea and Ifraorder: Isoptera commonly referred to as destroyer of wood or white ants but not white [1]. Termites are eusocial insects. They live in a colony, only some individual is able to reproduce. They are well behaved, meticulous and highly organized insects. They exhibit a division of labor with individuals taking up different roles, such as defense or foraging. Termites emerged 298.9 million years ago. There about 3,106 species [2], these species are grouped into three, dampwood (mostly found in coniferous forest), drywood (found in hardwood forest) and subterranean termites (found in widely diverse area). There are 435 species found in Asia, 1000 species found in Africa, 50 species in North America, 400 species foun...