Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Millet, Pennisetum glaucum (LEEKE) R.Br. is one of the most important foods for the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this crop is subject to damage caused by the millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella De Joannis. Management of this pest is currently based on the release of the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor Say. A study was conducted in a real environment to test the performance of release bags containing different support diets in order to optimize the biological control of this pest. The study was conducted in 15 villages in the Zinder region in the commune of Matameye and Mirriah. Five treatments were done. Release bag containing millet, millet bran, groundnut shell, bran combined with millet and control treatment Release bags without substrates. Infestations were considered before releasing. At the level of each treatment, 12 release bags were set up, arranged in batches of 3 on each side of the village according to the cardinal points of the village. Four weeks after the releases, data were collected on 400 millet heads per village to note the parasitism of H. Hebetor on the millet head miner. The results revealed an average infestation rate of 79.13% in the area. The parasitism rate was not different between the treatments and this rate varied from 14.10% to 22.1%. The estimated cost of different support diets for the release bags shows a reduction of 80% by substituting millet for the peanut shell. These data may contribute to optimizing H. hebetor release methods and reducing the cost of the technology.