Mistletoes of the agroforestry parklands of Burkina Faso

In sahelian countries, parklands are very important for human populations from an economic point of view. Unfortunately, they are currently being threatened by pests such as Loranthaceae which are stem parasites. In Burkina Faso, six species of Loranthaceae have been identified and located geographically: Agelanthus dodoneifolius (DC.) Polh. & Wiens, Englerina leucardii (Engl.) Balle, Globimetula cupulata (DC.) Van Tieghem, Tapinanthus bangwensis (Engl. & K. Krause) Danser, T. globiferus (A. Rich.) Van Tieghem and T. ophiodes (Sprague) Danser. Agelanthus dodoneifolius is by far the most widespread in the country whereas Globimetula cupulata is strictly located in the southeast. A list of their hosts has been established showing: 154 species dispatched in 96 genera and 42 families. Among them, the most frequently parasitized families are the Caesalpiniaceae, the Combretaceae and the Mimosaceae. A biological cycle scheme showing the main phenological stages common to the six Loranthaceae observed in Burkina Faso is reported. Based on a review of the damage caused by Loranthaceae, pruning, chemical treatments, genetic selection of resistant individuals and biological control are suggested as possible control methods.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.