ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF HERBICIDE ON MACROFAUNA IN THE AGROECOSYSTEM WITHIN IKOT EKPENE, AKWA IBOM STATE
Abstract
Herbicide which is a commonly used agrochemical have been implicated with negative feedback on the agro-ecosystem. Therefore, a study aimed at explored the impact of herbicides on macro-fauna in agricultural land was carried out in Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. Experimental design was employed and the fauna encountered were captured, identified and counted using quadrant method. A total of 675 animals belonging to 6 species were encountered in the study with little black ant being the most encountered with relative abundance of 32% (216), followed by Odorous ant with 27.5%
(170) which reflected a high level of resistance to the herbicide while the least encountered (vulnerable species) was the caterpillar with 4% (27) and was seen only on the untreated plot. A higher percentage reduction of 53.8% was recorded for the plot treated with the herbicide while the untreated plot recorded 11.8%. The difference was statistically significant at p
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