Farmers' perception on severity, crop loss and management practices of variegated grasshopper (Zonocerus variegatus L.) on cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Sierra Leone

Farmers' perception on the severity and management practices on cassava has not been fully investigated particularly across agro-ecologies in Sierra Leone. This study assessed the perception of smallholder cassava farmers on the severity of Z. variegatus L., its impacts on yield and indigenous coping management practices utilized to mitigate the infestation of grasshoppers in their cassava farms. The population of the study comprised 300 cassava farmers sampled from the north, south and eastern provinces of Sierra Leone. The study involved questionnaire research instrument administered to smallholder farmers who were farming for household consumption, those producing for sale and household consumption and those who were mainly producing for sale because their primary goal was to produce for the market. Findings revealed that farmers had perceived abilities about agro-ecological distribution of grasshoppers, making them to be familiar with cassava crop damage severity pattern and easy identification. Farmers have ability to recognize and identify adult grasshoppers, and part(s) of cassava mostly affected by grasshoppers. Cassava leaves and stems are destroyed by the pest during either preferential feeding or as a result of ‘choice, no choice feeding’. The study established that smallholder farmers have perceived abilities to identify damage symptoms, stage(s) in the life cycle of the pest that is/are more destructive leading to crop losses and utilization of best practices to mitigate grasshopper infestation on cassava that could be exploited for increased production, management and conservation of cassava genetic resources. Moreover, 52.3% of variation in extent of crop loss by grasshopper infestation is attributable to life cycle stage(s) of the grasshoppers, identification of part(s) of cassava plant mostly destroyed by grasshoppers, cassava variety preference by grasshoppers and the best practices that contribute to increased cassava productivity.