Oecophylla longinoda (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Lead to Increased Cashew Kernel Size and Kernel Quality.
Weaver ants, Oecophylla spp., are known to positively affect cashew, Anacardium occidentale L., raw nut yield, but their effects on the kernels have not been reported. We compared nut size and the proportion of marketable kernels between raw nuts collected from trees with and without ants. Raw nuts collected from trees with weaver ants were 2.9% larger than nuts from control trees (i.e., without weaver ants), leading to 14% higher proportion of marketable kernels. On trees with ants, the kernel: raw nut ratio from nuts damaged by formic acid was 4.8% lower compared with nondamaged nuts from the same trees. Weaver ants provided three benefits to cashew production by increasing yields, yielding larger nuts, and by producing greater proportions of marketable kernel mass.
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, 03 BP 2819 Cotonou, République du Bénin ( anatoflorence@yahoo.fr ; sinzogan2001@yahoo.fr ; detie11@yahoo.fr ; bido2002fr@yahoo.fr ; p_ayelo@yahoo.com ; kossoudansou@yahoo.com ).|Corresponding author, e-mail: anatoflorence@yahoo.fr.
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Anato
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, 03?BP 2819 Cotonou, République du Bénin (anatoflorence@yahoo.fr; sinzogan2001@yahoo.fr; detie11@yahoo.fr; bido2002fr@yahoo.fr; p_ayelo@yahoo.com; kossoudansou@yahoo.com).
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Sinzogan
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsoevej 25, DK-8600, Silkeborg, Denmark (joaf@bios.au.dk).
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Offenberg
Ecole de Gestion et de Production Végétale et Semencière, Université d'Agriculture de Kétou, 08BP 1055 Cotonou, République du Bénin (adanappo@yahoo.fr).
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Adandonon
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, 03?BP 2819 Cotonou, République du Bénin (anatoflorence@yahoo.fr; sinzogan2001@yahoo.fr; detie11@yahoo.fr; bido2002fr@yahoo.fr; p_ayelo@yahoo.com; kossoudansou@yahoo.com).
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Wargui
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, 03?BP 2819 Cotonou, République du Bénin (anatoflorence@yahoo.fr; sinzogan2001@yahoo.fr; detie11@yahoo.fr; bido2002fr@yahoo.fr; p_ayelo@yahoo.com; kossoudansou@yahoo.com).
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Deguenon
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, 03?BP 2819 Cotonou, République du Bénin (anatoflorence@yahoo.fr; sinzogan2001@yahoo.fr; detie11@yahoo.fr; bido2002fr@yahoo.fr; p_ayelo@yahoo.com; kossoudansou@yahoo.com).
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Ayelo
CIRAD, UPR HortSys, 34398 Montpellier, France; IITA, Biocontrol Unit for Africa, 08?BP 0932, Cotonou, République du Bénin (jean-francois.vayssieres@cirad.fr).
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Vayssières
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, 03?BP 2819 Cotonou, République du Bénin (anatoflorence@yahoo.fr; sinzogan2001@yahoo.fr; detie11@yahoo.fr; bido2002fr@yahoo.fr; p_ayelo@yahoo.com; kossoudansou@yahoo.com).
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Kossou
D031021:Anacardium / Q000254:growth & development*; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D001541:Benin; D009754:Nuts / Q000235:genetics; D010572:Pest Control, Biological
Anacardium occidentale; Oecophylla longinoda; biological control; export; kernel quality