Level of Infestation of Plantain Banana Cultivars by the Black Weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) in the Kisangani Region, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the level of infestation of plantain bananas by the black weevil Cosmopolites sordidus across three cultivars in the Kisangani region. The cultivars studied were ‘Libanga likale’ (Musa AAB of the false horn type), ‘Litete’ (Musa AAB of the French type), and ‘Lokusu’ (Musa AAB of the true horn type). The study focused on the rate of attack, the average number of adult individuals per plant, and the severity of the attack. The results indicated that all cultivars were susceptible but significantly different from one another regarding the rate of infestation and the number of adult Cosmopolites per infested plant (P < 0.05). The extent of damage varied with the bulb diameter of the infested subjects. The cultivar ‘Litete’ was the most affected, with an infestation rate of 77.5%, hosting an average of 164 adult Cosmopolites per infested plant. Within the same cultivar, plants with a small bulb diameter (16-24 cm) were the most sensitive. These findings suggest that the vigour of the bulb influences the level of infestation of plantain bananas.