International Journal of Nematology and Entomology

International Journal of Nematology and Entomology ISSN: 9321-5320 Vol. 3 (4), pp. 207-219, April, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Botanicals for the management of insect pests in organic vegetable production

Mochiah M. B.¹*, Banful B.², Fening K. N.¹, Amoabeng B.W.¹, Offei Bonsu K.¹, Ekyem S.¹,

Braimah H.¹ and Owusu-Akyaw M.¹

¹Entomology Section, CSIR-Crops Research Institute, P. O. Box 3785, Kumasi, Ghana.

²Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 22 February, 2011

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacies of some botanical products on insect populations associated with two vegetables; Eggplant and Okra. Two field experiments were conducted on-station at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Kwadaso, Kumasi, and on-farm at Eatwell farm at Agona-Mampong all in the Ashanti region of Ghana from December 2009 to March 2010 and September to December 2010, respectively. Seven botanical treatments were applied viz; Ecogold (10 ml/l of water); Alata soap (5 g/l of water); Garlic (30 g/litre of water); Neem oil (3 ml/l of water); Papaya leaves (92 g/l of water); Wood ash (10 g/plant stand) and control (no botanical). The experimental set up was a Randomized Complete Block design (RCBD) with three replications. Parameters studied included insect pest numbers and their natural enemies, number of days to 50% flowering, plants height at flowering (cm), number of fruits per plant, fruit damage, and mean weight of fruits (g). Major insect pest recorded on the two vegetables included aphids (Aphis gossypii), flea beetles (Podagrica spp), white flies (Bemisia tabaci), fruit borers (Earias sp), cotton strainers (Dysdercus superstitiosus (F.)), variegated grasshoppers (Zonocerus variegatus L.), Urentius hysterricellus (Richter) and shoot and fruit borers (Leucinodes orbonalis Gn). The natural enemies of pests of the two vegetables identified were the ladybird beetles, (Cheilomenes sp) and predatory spiders (Araneae). There were significant percentage reductions in pests for all the botanicals applied (P< 0.05) on both the eggplant and okra plants compared to the control. Generally, plants to which the botanicals were applied produced the highest mean weight of fruits, translating into mean percentage increases in fruit weight ranging between 21 and 59% on both the eggplant and okra plants compared to the control in both growing periods. It is concluded that botanicals such as Ecogold, Alata soap, exotic garlic, neem oil, papaya leaves and wood ash could be effectively considered as pest management options to reduce insect pest populations and increase eggplant and okra productivity.

Key words: Organic vegetables, botanicals, insect pests, beneficial insects.

International Journal of Nematology and Entomology ISSN: 9321-5320 Vol. 3 (3), pp. 200-206, March, 2017.© International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper        

Quantitative survey of stored products mites infesting wheat flour in Jeddah Governorate

Abir Sulaiman Al-Nasser

Faculty of Applied Sciences for Girls, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected].

Accepted 28 July, 2011

Abstract

In this study, a faunistic survey of mites was conducted in different product stores such as bakeries, warehouses, mills, department stores and houses during a nine month study period (October 2009 to June 2010), in Jeddah governorate. The survey was carried out on wheat flour as different samples 150 gm each were collected monthly from three regions; North, Middle and South. The results of the current study identified five species of mites belonging to four families: Dermatophagoides farinae (Pyroglyphidae), Acarophenax tribolii (Acarophenacidae), Cheyletus malaccensis (Cheyletidae), Blattisocius tarsalis and Blattisocius keegani (Ascidae). The mites’ counts ranged from 0.15 to 20.44 mites/150 gm wheat flour. The highest counts for the majority of mites species collected from the three regions were recorded during the months of November, December, January and February, according to the decreasing degrees of temperature and relative humidity during these months. D. farinae was the most dominant species in all samples collected from the three regions, followed by A. tribolii in samples from North and Middle. The predatory species C. malaccensis was detected in three regions but in few numbers, whereas, B. tarsalis and B. keegani were detected only in samples from the South. These results indicate the effect of temperature and relative humidity on the distribution density of stored products mites.

Key words: Stored products mites, quantitative survey, wheat flour, temperature, relative humidity.

International Journal of Nematology and Entomology ISSN: 9321-5320 Vol. 2 (4), pp. 167-173, April, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Variation of resistance to endosulfan in tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis theivora waterhouse (heteroptera: miridae) in the tea plantation of the Sub-Himalayan Dooars, northern west Bengal, India

Somnath Roy¹*, G. Gurusubramanian² and Ananda Mukhopadhyay¹

¹Entomology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of North Bengal, Siliguri, Darjeeling-734013, India. ²Department of Zoology, Mizoram University, Tanhril, Aizawl -796009, Mizoram, India.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected], entosomnath@ rediffmail.com.

Accepted 09 January, 2009

Abstract

The tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse, from the Dooars tea plantations, North Bengal, India, was tested for susceptibility change and resistance development to endosulfan. Six different H. theivora populations collected from six subdistricts of the Dooars and their responses to endosulfan were investigated by probit analysis and compared with those of a susceptible reference strain. Resistance ratio and resistant coefficient for endosulfan ranged from 582.18 - 1504.20 folds and 5.78 - 14.95, respectively (based on LC₉₅). Selection of adults of H. theivora in laboratory to various sub-lethal concentrations of endosulfan up to five generations resulted in maximum mortality at highest concentration in every successive generation. The resistance ratio for the fifth generation increased 4.417 fold as compared to first generation. The results indicate that endosulfan should be avoided for managing endosulfan resistance in H. theivora.

Key words: Helopeltis theivora, Dooars tea plantations, susceptibility change, endosulfan, resistance.

International Journal of Nematology and Entomology Vol. 2 (1), pp. 140-148, January, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effect of variety and transplanting date on the incidence of insect pests and their natural enemies

Tsai Freya Lui¹, P. K.  Hsu²*, Cheng I. R³ and Huang Lui C.²

¹Department of Agricultural Extension, Bangladesh.

² Entomology Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur-1701, Bangladesh ³Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Centre, P.O. Box 164, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 25 February, 2013

Abstract

Rice is the staple food in Bangladesh. It is attacked by many insect pests which limit its productivity. An experiment was carried out at the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Mymensingh, Bangladesh in order to investigate the effects of rice variety and planting date on the incidence of insect pests and natural enemies. Three varieties Binasail, Binadhan-4 and TN1 were transplanted on four different dates. Both rice variety and planting date had significant effects on pest incidence. Binasail and Binadhan-4 hosted lower populations of insect pests compared to the other varieties. Early planted rice had lower pests and natural enemy’s population than later-transplanted rice. There were interaction between varieties and transplanting date, while early transplanted BINA dhan4 hosted the lowest population of insect pests, but TNl variety when was cultivated at late season, showed the insect population. In case of natural enemies the highest abundance was observed in the variety of TN1 at 1st transplanting date. The study concluded that early planting resulted in lower incidence of plant and leaf sucking pests and recommended the early planting of BINA dhan4 and Binasail.

Key words: Rice, insect pests, natural enemy, variety, transplanting date, incidence.