| Summary: | The stem borer weevil, <i>Lixus algirus</i> L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), causes severe damage to faba beans (<i>Vicia faba</i> L.) in Morocco. A survey was conducted to determine the distribution of <i>L. algirus</i>, its natural enemies, and the severity of damage it causes to faba beans in Morocco. A total of 16 and 27 stops were randomly selected and surveyed in the major faba bean-growing regions during the years 2017 and 2018, respectively. The Gharb region recorded the highest level of <i>L. algirus</i> infestation at 80% and 71.42% in 2017 and 2018, respectively, followed by the Saïs region at 58.75% and 36% in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Two egg parasitoids (<i>Chlorocytus</i><i>lixi</i> and <i>Anaphes longicornis</i>), one egg predator (<i>Orius</i> sp.), and a larval parasitoid (<i>Cyanopterobracon</i>) were identified. The ectoparasitoid <i>C. lixi</i> was observed to be the most dominant species, with percentages of parasitism in the regions ranging between 35.75% and 70.49%. The larval parasitoid <i>Cyanopterobracon</i> was the second most abundant species, with percentages of parasitism ranging between 3.03% to 15.96%. Understanding the parasitoid complex of <i>L. algirus</i> in Morocco is necessary for the subsequent development of a biological control program.
|
|---|