Association and Synchrony ofSmicronyx guineanusVoss,S. umbrinusHustache (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and the Parasitic WeedStriga hermonthica(Del.) Benth. (Scrophulariaceae)

Field experiments were conducted in 1992 and 1993 at Kaya, Burkina Faso, West Africa, in fields of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum).Striga hermonthica(witchweed) was sampled weekly using a square-meter metal frame. Concurrently, adult populations of the weevilsSmicronyx guineanusVoss andS. umbrinusHustache were sampled weekly using a Univac portable suction sampler to assess the synchrony ofSmicronyxwithStriga.χ2tests for independence of the populations ofSmicronyxandStrigaindicated a good synchrony of the active stages of the life cycle of the weevils with the period of occurrence of the witchweed. The Univac portable suction sampler method was also used to determine the degree of association betweenSmicronyxandStriga.There was a positive association between the weevil and the witchweed. The percentage ofStrigaplants bearing galls caused bySmicronyxwas determined on 39 occasions and galls were found in every field visited (n = 50). The mean galling percentage ranged from 1 to 84%. A search for alternate hosts was done by sampling weevil adults on weeds surrounding the farmersʹ fields. NoSmicronyxadult was caught on these weeds before the emergence of volunteerStrigaplants.