Cashew is an important crop in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa); however, its productivity is hindered by insect pests. This study aimed to characterize insect pests’ diversity in cashew plantations and analyze environmental factors influencing their spatial distribution across the country. Field surveys across three agroecological zones and eight administrative regions recorded biotic factors (age of the older trees and tree density), and pest occurrence, while environmental variables (temperature, precipitation, wind speed, humidity and distance to the coast) were sourced from online databases. Data analysis focused on pest characterization, assessing insect diversity, and modeling environmental drivers across the country. The study identified 13 pest morphospecies across seven orders and 12 families. Three morphospecies (ms.1 – Coccidae, ms.2 – Pseudococcidae, ms.3 – Aphididae) were assigned to the reproductive pest guild, as they infest and damage inflorescences, nuts and apples, while the non-reproductive guild had the highest relative occurrences (93%) and diversity (Shannon index: 1.05). Overall, termites exhibited the highest frequency of occurrence (69%) across 151 surveyed plantations. Among the agroecological zones, the North had the highest relative occurrence of morphospecies (49%), whereas the East had the lowest (13%). Distinct environmental drivers influence pest diversity across zones, with precipitation-related factors being primary drivers in the East, particularly precipitation seasonality, although the North and South exhibited stronger support for models including only the spatial smooth term, suggesting that pest diversity in these zones may be shaped by additional spatially structured factors not measured in our study (e.g. environmental: soil characteristics; biotic: natural enemies’ presence; anthropogenic: human settlement proximity). Biotic factors measured in our study (e.g., tree density and the age of the older trees) were not identified as significant predictors influencing pest diversity in our models. These findings highlight the need for region-specific pest management strategies tailored to the unique climatic and ecological conditions of Guinea-Bissau.
Baquero et al. (Mon,) studied this question.