Abstract
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) contains highly nutritional values compared to other leafy vegetables in tropical areas. This vegetable requires an adequate amount of plant nutrients for growth and development. Nitrogen (N) fertilization can improve plant qualities, but at the same time, it may also lead to higher levels of pest damage to crops. Diamondback moth (DBM) is one of the major insect pests attacking cabbage thus reducing the profitable cabbage production. This study is to demonstrate the effect of N on the plant growth and response of the insect pest towards higher N fertilization. Cabbage were applied with different N level; control; 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L, 150 mg/L, 200 mg/L and 300 mg/L at 2nd and 4th week after transplanting. At 6th week, treatment with higher N enhances the growth and development of cabbage and fastens the development of DBM. Glucosinolate content in cabbage was higher at 6th week compared to 9th and 12th weeks. It was further concluded that N fertilizer can increase cabbage productivity and understanding to learn chemical ecology and insect behaviour are crucial to develop pest control approaches.
Highlights
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) from family Cruciferae has been recognized as one of the top twenty vegetables and significant food sources around the world
In Malaysia, its total production is about 101,258 metric tonnes (DOA, 2016)
The cotton wool was dipped with 10% of honey solutions as food sources to adult Diamondback moth (DBM). 10 neonates of DBM were put on sixth-week old plants to observe the duration required of DBM to change from larva, pupae and adult
Summary
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) from family Cruciferae has been recognized as one of the top twenty vegetables and significant food sources around the world. To meet the demand by consumers, farmers often applied excess fertilizer to obtain high yields in the form of nitrogen-based fertilizers and influencing the preference and performance of insect pest on the plant. Almost 90% of the farmers utilize insecticides as primary control to combat DBM infestation on cruciferous crop. These practices cause arising environmental problem and lead DBM to resistant as well as the rejection of harvested crops by consumer due to highly pesticide residue in crucifer. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of different N levels on the growth and development of cabbage and its major pest DBM. Plant growth data parameters including root length, leaf area, dry weight of root and leaves were collected subsequently chemical analysis of N and glucosinolate were analysed on 6, 9 and 12 WAT
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