PEST-MANAGEMENT AND POLLINATION OF CANTALOUPES GROWN UNDER SPUNBONDEDROW COVERS IN WEST-AFRICA

Cantaloupe is non parthenocarpic and requires insects for pollination. However, it is severely affected by sap-sucking insects, the viruses they vector, and cucurbit fruit flies throughout West Africa. Our stud y was conducted in Senegal to evaluate spunbonded row cover as an inte grated production tool with special reference to pest management and p ollination. We used an andromonoecious cultivar and compared an open t reatment with four cover treatments. In the first two treatments, the covers were removed at the onset of fruiting to allow open pollination . The fabric was laid directly on the plants in one treatment and arra nged in small tunnels in the other. In the other two treatments, small tunnels of fabric were maintained over the plants for 20 d after the onset of fruiting. In one, an end of the tunnel was cut open to allow open pollination while in the last treatment, the tunnel was kept clos ed and pollination was provided by a colony of African honey bees in a multiple-entrance hive. All plants were sprayed with fungicides as ne eded, but only the plants in the open or those with the cover removed were treated with insecticides. Honey bees foraged in all plots and po llination was not a limiting factor in any of the treatments. Chemical applications alone provided poor protection and yielded an average of 0.18 kg of export-grade fruit per plant. Removal of the covers at the onset of fruiting resulted in severe insect damage and plant losses r egardless of the layout of the cover and the final yield of export-gra de fruit was 0.40 kg per plant. Tunnels with the opening at one end al lowed adequate open pollination while maintaining a significant level of protection from insect pests and gave a yield of 0.56 kg of export- grade fruit per plant. The closed tunnels with beehives gave the best results from the standpoint of plant growth and development as well as a yield of export-grade fruit of 0.97 kg per plant.