Diversity and Role of Entomological Fauna Associated With Annona senegalensis (Magnoliales: Annonaceae) in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

Annona senegalensis Pers. is a shrub of tropical countries that, during the fruiting period, harbor many insects. All parts of the plant are used and exploited in traditional medicine, food, and firewood. Our study aimed at evaluating the diversity of insects associated with the different phenological stages of A. senegalensis fruits in two phytogeographic zones of Burkina Faso. Sampling was carried out on flowers, green fruits, ripe fruits, and decayed fruits of A. senegalensis. For the first time, a total of 48 insects species belonging to 6 orders and 23 families were identified. These orders were Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera. Our data indicated that the diversity of insect species varies according to the stages of development of the fruit (P = 0.017) and according to the site (P = 2.2e-16). Among these insects, Curculionidae (Endaeus spp.) predominate on flowers, are known to be pollinators, and Formicidae (Messor galla Mayr, [Hymenoptera: Formicidae], Trichomyrmex abyssinicus Forel, [Hymenoptera: Formicidae], and Crematogaster sp.) and Tettigometridae (Hilda undata Walker, [Hemiptera: Tettigometridae]) are suspected to have mutualistic relationships on green fruits. Potential pests belonging to the Scarabaeidae (Pachnoda spp., Polybaphes spp., and Xeloma Maura Boheman, [Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae]), Drosophilidae (Zaprionus indianus Gupta, [Diptera: Drosophilidae]), and Nitidulidae (Carpophilus nepos Murray, [Coleoptera: Nitidulidae]) are associated with ripe and decayed fruits. The data in this study highlight the diversity in terms of pollinators that ensure the fruit production and Formicidae known to protect A. senegalensis against potential pests. These data provide valuable information in terms of valuation of this plant.

Amendment with Burkina Faso phosphate rock-enriched composts alters soil chemical properties and microbial structure, and enhances sorghum agronomic performance.

Low soil available phosphorus (P) severely limits crop production in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study evaluated phosphate rock-enriched composts as locally available low-cost fertilizers for sorghum production. The treatments consisted of sorghum straw, compost (COMP), phosphate rock (BPR), BPR-enriched compost (P-COMP), BPR-rhizosphere soil-enriched compost (P-COMP-SOIL), nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium treatment (NPK, 60-39-25), and control (NK, 60-25). Sorghum straw and compost were applied at 1.34 tons ha-1. N, P, and K in all treatments, excluding the control, were adjusted to 60, 39, and 25 kg ha-1, with urea, BPR, and KCl, respectively. Sorghum vr. kapelga was cultivated and soil samples were collected at the S5, S8, and S9 growth stages. P-COMP-SOIL and NPK yielded better sorghum yields than the other treatments. The rhizosphere soil of P-COMP-SOIL had high abundance of soil bacteria and AMF, and genes involved in P solubilization, such as: acid phosphatase (aphA), phosphonatase (phnX), glucose dehydrogenase (gcd), pyrroloquinoline quinone (pqqE), phosphate-specific transporter (pstS). The superior performance of the P-COMP-SOIL was associated with its higher available P content and microbial abundance. Multivariate analysis also revealed vital contributions of N, carbon, and exchangeable cations to sorghum growth. Soils could be amended with phosphate rock-rhizosphere soil-enriched composts, as an alternative to chemical fertilizers.