Département de Génie de l’Environnement, Laboratoire de Recherche en Biologie Appliquée (LARBA), Ecole Polytechnique d´Abomey-Calavi (EPAC), Université d´Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 01 BP 2009, Cotonou, Benin
Cotton being one of the plants most attacked by pests in Benin, this crop harbors a diverse range of predators. It is within this framework that this study aims to identify the main predators encountered on cotton plants in the phytosanitary zones of Benin, to determine their seasonal development and to assess their importance according to the stages of cotton development. Thus, the density of predators was assessed on 0.25 hectare of real fields. A factorial analysis of the correspondences was used to make the typology of predators. Their seasonal evolution was described using trend curves and then the Wilcoxon test was used to assess the density of predators according to the stages of cotton development. Thus, three groups of predators were identified according to the zones. We observed a first group consisting of spiders which are mainly distributed in zone 3. The second group is formed by ants, praying mantises and Phonoctonus spp. found in zone 2. The third group is composed of lacewings, syrphids and ladybirds found in zone 1. From the vegetative development stage of cotton to the fruiting development stage, the density of Syrphids varied from 1.80 ± 0.23 to 3.18 ± 0.27, while the density of lacewing varied from 2.37 ± 0.51 (vegetative stage) to 1.01 ± 0.25 (fruiting stage). The density of Syrphids significantly increased during the fruiting stage, unlike that of Chrysopes, which experienced a significant decrease. These results may contribute to a better understanding of the regulatory function of organic cotton predators on its pests and their importance in integrated pest management strategies.