Susceptibility of different Malvaceae crops to herbivory induced by adult Podagrica spp.

Podagrica uniforma Jacoby and P. sjostedti are two important flea beetles that cause economic damage to several Malvaceae crops in Africa. Host preference by the was evaluated under field conditions 2017 2018 using fourty different family Malvaceae. The setup a randomized complete block design with three blocks. Both highly preferred okra genotypes, but cotton genotypes were not damaged both years. More than 80% of crop leaves had beetle-induced buckshot(s) except for (0%) jute mallow (<55%). Leaf tissue removal exceeded 40% total leaf area kenaf. Damages induced disrupted plants’ fitness, caused high abscission many stands lost Only fruits beetles, plots Dwarf LP variety recorded highest loss (>43%) NHAe47-4, LD-88, first most susceptible spp. attacks, while ranked as least crops. In conclusion, exhibited broad oligophagy polyculture While okra, kenaf, roselle, showed varying degrees susceptibility beetles’ appeared be outside host range. potential utilizing this beetle-Malvaceae interaction information agroecosystems minimize infestation losses discussed.