Process of Attack on Cashew Tree Branches by Diastocera trifasciata (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and the Relationship between These Attacks and the Phenological Stages in the Gbêkê Region (Central Côte d’Ivoire)

Cerambycidae Diastocera trifasciata attacks were studied from October 2015 to September 2017 in three cashew tree orchards in the locality of Brobo in central Côte d’Ivoire. One hundred fifty-three (153) cashew trees, arranged on a diagonal from each orchard, were selected for sampling. The attacked plants and the branches cut per tree were counted every 15 days. Biotic parameters, namely phenological stages of trees, and abiotic factors, which are rainfall, relative humidity and average temperature, were recorded throughout the study. Attacks were observed from mid-September to January from the pre-flowering vegetative stage to the flowering stage. Attack period duration was therefore four and a half months per year. The peak of attacks was recorded in November with an attack rate of 88.02% in 2015 and 75.49% in 2016. No attack was recorded from February to mid-September, corresponding to the flowering, fruiting and post-harvest vegetative growth stages. This description of the attack process and the determination of D. trifasciata attack periods provides essential data for the implementation of an effective and sustainable control method of this species.