NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Desert locust

Plagues of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) have threatened agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East and Asia for centuries. The livelihood of at least one-tenth of the world’s human population can be affected by this hungry insect. The 2004 desert locust outbreak has caused significant crop losses in West Africa and had a negative impact on food security in the region. It was one of the main factors contributing to the famine in Niger. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (571x800, 80 KB) Summary Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) in solitary phase taken by Christiaan Kooyman in Niger in September 1990. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Symphypleona - globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura - extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets... Suborders and families Suborder Ensifera - crickets Superfamily Gryllacroidea Gryllacrididae - camel crikets Rhaphidophoridae - cave crickets Schizodactylidae - dune crickets Stenopelmatidae - king crickets Superfamily Grylloidea Gryllidae - true crickets Gryllotalpidae - mole cricket Mogoplistidae Myrmecophilidae Superfamily Tettigonioidea Anostostomatidae - king crickets Bradyporidae - armoured crickets Haglidae Phaneropteridae Tettigoniidae - katydids, koringkrieks Suborder Caelifera - grasshoppers, locusts Superfamily Acridoidea Acrididae... Families Superfamily: Proscopioidea Proscopiidae Superfamily: Eumastacoidea Eumastacidae Thericleidae Superfamily: Xyronotoidea Tanaoceridae Xyrotonotidae Superfamily: Pampagoidea Pamphagidae Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea Pyrgomorphidae Superfamily: Trigonopteryguidea Borneancrididae Trigonopterygidae Superfamily: Acridoidea Acrididae Cyrtacanthacridinae Romaleidae Superfamily: Tetrigoidea Batrachideidae Tetrigidae Superfamily: Tridactyloidea Tridactylidae Ripipterygidae Superfamily: Cylindrichaetoidea Cylindrichaetidea Unknown: Charilaidae Dericorythidae Euschmidtiidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pneumoridae Pyrgacrididae Tridactylidae Tristiridae... Genera Subfamily: Acridinae Acrida Orthochtha Subfamily: Calliptaminae Acorypha Calliptamus Subfamily: Catantopinae Bettotania Catantops Stenocrobylus Striatosedulia Subfamily: Copiocerinae Chlorohippus Monachidium Subfamily: Coptacrinae Epistaurus Eucoptacra Subfamily: Cyrtacanthacridinae Austracris Schistocerca Valanga Subfamily: Egnatiinae Egnatius Leptoscirtus Subfamily: Eremogryllinae Eremogryllus Notopleura Subfamily: Euryphyminae Acrophymus Phymeurus Subfamily: Eyprepocnemidinae Eyprepocnemis Heteracris Subfamily: Gomphocerinae Dociostaurus Paragonista Subfamily: Habrocneminae... Binomial name Schistocerca gregaria ForsskÃ¥l, 1775 Plagues of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) have threatened agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East and Asia for centuries. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Peter ForsskÃ¥l (sometimes also Pehr ForsskÃ¥l, Peter Forskaol, Petrus ForskÃ¥l or Pehr ForsskÃ¥hl) (born in Helsinki, 11 January 1732, died in Yemen, 11 July 1763), Swedish explorer, orientalist and naturalist. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... you fools are stupid to let people edit these sheet your all dumasss get a life fukers Agriculture (a term which encompasses farming) is the art, science or practice of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals. ... Western Africa (UN subregion) Maghreb West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... Food security is a term used in development and humanitarian aid. ...

1 Desert locust ecology
2 Crop loss
3 Control
4 Biopesticides
5 New Control Methods
6 2004 Desert locust outbreak
7 External links
8 References
9 Further reading

Desert locust ecology

The desert locust lives a solitary life, until it rains. Rain causes vegetation growth and spurs the development of eggs that have been laid in the sandy soil. The new vegetation provides food for the newly hatched locusts and provides them with shelter as they develop into winged adults. Desert locust Nymph of Locust (Schistocera americana) with distinct wing-rudiments Locust from the 1915 Locust Plague For other meanings of the word Locust, see Locust (disambiguation). ...

Solitary (top) and gregarious (bottom) desert locust nymphs

When vegetation is distributed in such a way that the nymphs, usually called hoppers, have to congregate to feed, and there has been sufficient rain for a lot of eggs to hatch, forced physical contact causes the insects' hind legs to bump up against one another. This triggers a cascade of metabolic and behavioral changes that signal the insects' transformation from solitary behaviour to gregarious behavior. When the locusts become gregarious they change from green coloured to yellow and black, their bodies become shorter, and they give off a pheromone that causes them to be attracted to each other, enhancing hopper band and subsequently swarm formation. Interestingly, the nymphal pheromone is different from the adult one. When exposed to the adult pheromone, hoppers become confused and disoriented, because they can apparently no longer "smell" each other, though the visual and tactile stimuli remain. After a few days, the hopper bands disintegrate and those that escape predation become solitary again. It's possible that this effect could aid locust control in the future. Photograph courtesy Compton Tucker, NASA GSFC [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Photograph courtesy Compton Tucker, NASA GSFC [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος(metavallo), the Greek word for change), in the most general sense, is the ingestion and breakdown of complex compounds, coupled with the liberation of energy, and the consequent generation of waste... Fanning honeybee exposes Nasonov gland (white-at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive A pheromone is any chemical or set of chemicals produced by a living organism that transmits a message to other members of the same species. ... School of juvenile herring - many fish have the opercula wide open for ram feeding and you can see the red gills The term swarm (schooling or swarming) is applied to fish, birds and insects and describes a behavior of an aggregation (school) of animals of similar size and body orientation...

During quiet periods, called recessions, locusts are confined to a 16-million-square-kilometer belt that extends through the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, across the Arabian Peninsula, and into northwest India. When conditions are right swarms invade countries on all sides of the recession area, as far north as Spain and Russia and as far east as India and southwest Asia. As many as 60 countries can be affected. The Sahara is the worlds second largest desert (second to Antarctica), over 9,000,000 km² (3,500,000 mi²), located in northern Africa and is 2. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | North Africa ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: Ø´Ø¨Ù‡ Ø§Ù„Ø¬Ø²ÙŠØ±Ø© Ø§Ù„Ø¹Ø±Ø¨ÙŠØ©) is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia consisting mainly of desert. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

Swarms regularly cross the Red Sea between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and are even reported to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the Caribbean. A single swarm can cover 1200 square kilometers and can contain between 40 and 80 million locusts per square kilometer. The locust can live between three to six months, and there is a tenfold increase in locust numbers from one generation to the next. Location of the Red Sea Image:Red Seaimage. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... West Indian also redirects here. ...

Crop loss

Desert locusts can consume the approximate equivalent of their body mass each day (2 g) in green vegetation: leaves, flowers, bark, stems, fruit, and seeds. Nearly all crops, and non crop plants, are at risk, including millet, rice, maize, sorghum, sugarcane, barley, cotton, fruit trees, date palm, vegetables, rangeland grasses, acacia, pines, and banana. Leaves are an Icelandic five-piece alternative rock band who came to prominence in 2002 with their debut album, Breathe, drawing comparisons to groups such as Coldplay and Doves. ... Clivia miniata right hereflowers. ... Bark is the outermost layer of stems and roots of woody plants such as trees. ... A stem is the above ground axis of a vascular plant. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Catalonia. ... A ripe red jalapeno cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ... Pearl millet in the field Ripe head of proso millet For other uses, see Millet (disambiguation). ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice refers to two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans[1]. Rice is an annual plant, growing to 1-1. ... Binomial name Zea mays L. Maize (Zea mays ssp. ... Species About 30 species, see text Sorghum is a genus of about 20 species of grasses, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Eastern Africa, with one species native to Mexico. ... Species Saccharum arundinaceum Saccharum bengalense Saccharum edule Saccharum officinarum Saccharum procerum Saccharum ravennae Saccharum robustum Saccharum sinense Saccharum spontaneum Insert non-formatted text here Sugarcane or Sugar cane (Saccharum) is a genus of between 6 and 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of tall grasses (family Poaceae, tribe Andropogoneae), native... Binomial name Hordeum vulgare L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a major food and animal feed crop, a member of the grass family Poaceae. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... Binomial name Phoenix dactylifera L. The Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera is a palm, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. ... Vegetables on a market Vegetable is a nutritional and culinary term denoting any part of a plant that is commonly consumed by humans as food, but is not regarded as a culinary fruit, nut, herb, spice, or grain. ... Species About 115. ... Species Hybrid origin; see text A banana plant is a herb, in the genus Musa, which because of its size and structure, is often mistaken for a tree. ...

Locusts feeding

Crop loss from locusts was noted in the Bible and Qur'an. During the twentieth century, Desert Locust plagues occurred in 1926-1934, 1940-1948, 1949-1963, 1967-1969 and 1986-1989. The significant crop losses caused by swarming desert locusts, exacerbate problems of food shortage, and are a threat to food security. Desert locusts feeding. ... Desert locusts feeding. ... The Gutenberg Bible owned by the United States Library of Congress The Bible (Hebrew: ×ª× ×´×š tanakh, Greek: Î· Î’Î¯Î²Î»Î¿Ï‚ hÄ“ biblos) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Work of God, The Word, The Good Book or Scripture), from Greek (Ï„Î±) Î²Î¯Î²Î»Î¹Î±, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their... The , (Arabic: recitation, also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Alcoran, Turkish Kuran), is the central text of Islam. ... Food security is a term used in development and humanitarian aid. ...

Control

NASA has developed methods for detecting conditions and regions likely to give rise to swarms by satellite. Satellite data, combined with weather information and ground surveys, are used by the FAOs Desert Locust Information Service to produce forecasts published on the Web and in regular locust bulletins. They also provide information and training to affected countries and arrange for funding from donor agencies in case of major upsurges and plagues. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... Weather is an all-encompassing term used to describe all of the many and varied phenomena that can occur in the atmosphere of a planet. ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ...

The desert locust is a difficult pest to control, and control measures are made more difficult by the large and often remote areas (16-30 million sq. km) where locusts can be found. Undeveloped basic infrastructure in some affected countries, limited resources for locust monitoring and control and political turmoil within and between affected countries further reduce the capacity of a country to prevent swarms.

Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria

An ecological methode to control desert locust is with natural enemies. These include predatory and parasitic wasps and flies, predatory beetle larvae, birds, and reptiles. The downside is that they are easily overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of most swarms and bands if these were to be the ony defense used in a serious outbreak. However, they can help poor farmers since they might change the direction the swarm is heading. Another old African method is by putting poisonous or aromatic plants next to the crop they are trying to protect. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1999x1254, 584 KB) Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria at Bristol Zoo, Bristol, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1999x1254, 584 KB) Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria at Bristol Zoo, Bristol, England. ... Ecology is the branch of science that studies the distribution and abundance of living organisms, and the interactions between organisms and their environment. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Orders Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ...

At present the primary method of controlling desert locust swarms is with organophosphate insecticides applied in small concentrated doses by vehicle-mounted and aerial sprayers. The insecticide must be applied directly to the insect. Control is undertaken by government agencies in locust affected countries or by specialised organisations like the Desert Locust Control Organisation for East Africa (DLCO-EA). An organophosphate (sometimes abbreviated OP) is the general name for any organic compound containing phosphorus. ... Insecticide application by crop spraying An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects. ...

Biopesticides

Biopesticides include fungi, bacteria, neem extract and pheromones. The effectiveness of many biopesticides equals that of conventional chemical pesticides, but there are two distinct differences. Biopesticides take longer to kill the insect, plant diseases or weeds, between 2 and 10 days. More importantly, while there are approximately 25 million cases of severe work-related pesticide poisoning in developing countries each year, biopesticides are harmless to other creatures and the environment. Binomial name Azadirachta indica A.Juss. ...

There are two types of biopesticides - biochemical and microbial. Biochemical pesticides are similar to naturally occurring chemicals and are non-toxic, such as insect pheromones use to locate mates, while microbial insecticides like Green Muscle® come from bacteria, fungi, algae or viruses that either occur naturally or are genetically altered. They generally suppress pests by producing a toxin specific to the pest or by causing a disease.

A biological control product, Green Muscle®, has been available since the late nineties. It is based on a naturally occurring entomopathogenic fungus (i.e. insects-infecting fungus) , Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum. The species M. anisopliae is widespread throughout the world infecting many groups of insects, but it is harmless to humans and other mammals and birds. The variety acridum has specialised on short-horned grasshoppers, to which group locusts belong, and has therefore been chosen as the active ingredient of the product. Biological control of pests and diseases Overview A key belief of the organic gardener is that diversity furthers health. ... An entomopathogenic fungus is a fungus that kills, or parasitizes and seriously disables, insects. ... Binomial name Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin Metarhizium anisopliae is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and causes disease in various insects by acting as a parasite; it thus belongs to the entomopathogenic fungi. ... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Families Superfamily: Proscopioidea Proscopiidae Superfamily: Eumastacoidea Eumastacidae Thericleidae Superfamily: Xyronotoidea Tanaoceridae Xyrotonotidae Superfamily: Pampagoidea Pamphagidae Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea Pyrgomorphidae Superfamily: Trigonopteryguidea Borneancrididae Trigonopterygidae Superfamily: Acridoidea Acrididae Cyrtacanthacridinae Romaleidae Superfamily: Tetrigoidea Batrachideidae Tetrigidae Superfamily: Tridactyloidea Tridactylidae Ripipterygidae Superfamily: Cylindrichaetoidea Cylindrichaetidea Unknown: Charilaidae Dericorythidae Euschmidtiidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pneumoridae Pyrgacrididae Tridactylidae Tristiridae...

The product is available under different names in Africa and Australia. It is applied in the same way as chemical insecticides but does not kill as quickly. At recommended doses, the fungus typically takes two to three weeks to kill up to 90% of the locusts. For that reason, it is recommended for use mainly against hoppers, the wingless early stages of locusts. These are mostly found in the desert, far from cropping areas, where the delay in death does not result in damage. The advantage of the product is that it affects only grasshoppers, which makes it much safer than chemical insecticides. Specifically, it allows the natural enemies of locusts and grasshoppers to continue their beneficial work. These include birds, parasitoid and predatory wasps, parasitoid flies and certain species of beetles. Though they cannot always prevent plagues, they can limit the frequency of outbreaks and contribute to their control. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... WASP is a folk-sociological term for a member of the white establishment. Although the word is derived from an acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, in practice its use has expanded beyond the strict meaning of the acronym; in use, it is frequently derogatory. ... The Mediterranean fruit fly, or medfly, Ceratitis capitata Dance fly male Empis tesselata The flesh fly, Sarcophaga carnaria As defined by entomologists, a fly (plural flies) is any species of insect of the order Diptera. ... Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles are one of the most diverse groups of insects. ...

New Control Methods

The LUBILOSA project was initiated in 1989 in response to environmental concerns over the heavy use of chemical insecticides to control locusts and grasshoppers during the 1986-89 plagues. The project focuses on the use of beneficial disease-causing micro-organisms (pathogens) as a biological control agent for grasshoppers and locusts. These insects were considered to be too mobile and to reproduce too fast to be readily controlled by a classical biological control.

Pathogens have the advantage that they can be produced in artificial culture in large quantities and be used with ordinary spraying equipment. The entomopathogenic fungus is traditionally seen as needing humid conditions to work well. The LUBILOSA project has found a way to avoid this by spraying fungal spores in oil. Even under desert conditions the biopesticide developed by LUBILOSA, called Green Muscle®, can be used to kill locusts.

2004 Desert locust outbreak

Main article: 2004 Locust Outbreak The 2004 Locust Outbreak was the largest infestation of desert locust in West and North Africa in more than 15 years and affected a number of countries in the fertile northern regions of Africa. ...

In 2004, West Africa faced the largest desert locust outbreak in 15 years. The costs of fighting this outbreak have been estimated by the FAO to have exceeded US$60 million and harvest losses were valued at up to US$2.5 billion which had disastrous effects on the food security situation in West Africa. Lack of rain and cold temperatures in the winter breeding area of Northwest Africa slowed down the development of the locusts and allowed the locust control agencies to stop the cycle. In 2005, only a couple of swarms invaded the Sahel countries. Though significant breeding occurred in the summer in the border area of Chad and Sudan, the situation appears to be under control for the time being. Western Africa (UN subregion) Maghreb West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ... Food security is a term used in development and humanitarian aid. ... The location of Sahel in Africa The Sahel (from Arabic Ø³Ø§ØÙ„, sahil, shore, border or coast of the Sahara desert) is the boundary zone in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the more fertile region to the south, known as the Sudan (not to be confused with the country...

The countries affected by the 2004 outbreak were Algeria; Burkina Faso; the Canary Islands, Cape Verde; Chad; Egypt; The Gambia; Guinea; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Mali; Mauritania; Morocco; Niger; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Sudan; Tunisia; Yemen. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

Lubilosa site
Green Muscle Handbook
Why Locusts Swarm: A Study Finds 'Tipping Point'

References

AFROL News, Stronger efforts to fight West Africa's locusts Oct. 1, 2004 [1]
FAO, The desert locust information service [2]
Lindsey, R. 2002. Locust![3]
OECD, The Desert Locust Outbreak in West Africa - Sept. 23, 2004 [4]
Showler, A. T. 1996. The Desert Locust in Africa and Western Asia: Complexities of War, Politics, Perilous Terrain, and Development [5]
Programme on biological control of locusts and grasshoppers (LUBILOSA) [6]
Nature Magazine Article on combating desert locust trough natural enemies [7]

Contents

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