Effect of Intercropping Medicinal Plants on Mite Populations in Cultivated Cucumber

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the potential of pest repellent plant (PRP) species for managing mite pests. In order to reduce the environmental impact of pesticides and to improve the quality of the product, three PRP species (sweet basil,peppermint and spearmint) were assessed with a control treatment (without PRP).The results showed that the cultivated cucumber intercropped with the sweet basil, peppermint or spearmint led to a lower infestation rate of the broad mite Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) and Tetranychuscucurbitacearum (Sayed) mites to (92.9, 91.7%), (92.1, 92.7%) and (87.3, 82.03%) respectively under field condition They produced (5.43, 4.69 and 4.29 tons/ hectare) while the control treatment produced (4.07 tons/ hectare), respectively. In the greenhouse, leaves of cucumber intercropping with the same medicinal plants reduced the infestation rate to (87.7, 82.9%), (80.6, 75.2%) and (57.8, 36.1%) for P. latus, T. cucurbitacearum, and produced (4.74, 4.12 and 4.00 tons/ hectare) respectively, while the control treatment produced only 3.80 tons/ hectare.