nfluence of Climate Variability on Oil Palm Pests in NIFOR, Nigeria

Abstract

Agricultural production is very sensitive to climate variability in the humid and sub-humid tropics, especially under the seasonal climates of West Africa. The Oil palm is native to West and Central Africa surviving in seasonal climatic conditions. Oil palm growth and production patterns are affected by climatic variations.

A comprehensive evaluation of climate variability on insect pests in the main station of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) has not been assessed in spite of the Oil palm serving as an important food and cash crop in Nigeria. Climatological data from 1952 to 2006 obtained from the NIFOR weather station has been analyzed in this paper. Data analysis utilizes the GenStat statistical package.

      The paper seeks to assess the vulnerability of insect pests of the Oil palm to climate variability impacts. It focuses attention on areas where key intervention could reduce the impacts of climate change. It provides information that would aid management of negative consequences of climate change and variability in Nigeria.