Sucking Pests Research Articles

Evaluation of insecticidal properties of botanicals for sustainable management of sucking pests of horticultural crops

AbstractAphids, thrips, whiteflies, mealy bugs and mites could cause significant yield losses in horticultural crops. Many synthetic chemicals highly hazardous to non‐target organisms and the environment are in use in their management. Botanicals are ideal for safe sustainable pest management by keeping synthetic chemical use at a minimum. We studied the insecticidal properties of three botanicals viz., Annona squamosa, Ricinus communis and Sapindus mukorossi seed extracts against sucking pests viz., aphids (Aphis gossypii and Aphis craccivora) on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and bittergourd (Momordica charantia), thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) on chilli (Capsicum frutescens), whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) on eggplant (Solanum melongena), mealy bugs (Maconellicoccus hirsutus) on betel vine (Piper betle) and mites (Tetranychus urticae) on eggplant (Solanum melongena) under laboratory conditions. The bioassay showed that A. squamosa seed extract has potent insecticidal properties on all sucking pests, except T. urticae. Though S. mukorossi seed extract exhibited no insecticidal property, had a significant acaricidal property. A. squamosa and S. mukorossi seed extracts will therefore be additional botanicals for use in organic farming for managing the sucking pests effectively.

Seasonal Incidence of Sucking Pests and Their Natural Enemies in Okra Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench

Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench is a major vegetable crop grown in India. The crop is susceptible to various sucking insects and mite pests throughout the cropping period. The present field experiment was carried out to observe the incidence and correlation between weather parameters and sucking pests along with their natural enemies in okra (variety Arka Anamika) at Central Research Station, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha during summer 2021.The maximum population of two major sucking pests i.e., leafhopper and whitefly was observed at 22nd and 19th standard meteorological week (SMW), respectively where as the peak activity of aphid and two spotted spider mites were recorded at 21st SMW. Among the natural enemies, coccinellid and spiders were recorded and the highest activity was observed at 22nd SMW. The correlation studies revealed a significant positive correlation between minimum temperature (r= 0.577) and afternoon relative humidity (r= 0.618) with leafhopper population. Further, there was significant negative correlation between spider population and maximum temperature (r= -0.788) where as both morning and afternoon relative humidity (r= 0.677 and r= 746) had positive effect. In addition, there was significant positive correlation between the predators (coccinellid and spider) and prey (aphid and leafhopper) population. Therefore, from ecological point of view understanding the relationship between pest and natural enemies and their incidence is necessary to take timely pest management measures.

Attraction of leaf hopper, Amrasca biguttulla biguttulla, and whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, toward natural essential oils in cotton

Abstract Leaf hopper, Amrasca biguttula biguttula, and whitefly, Bemisia tabaci are the most economical sucking pests of cotton (Gossypium spp.) causing stunting, shortening of internodes and transmitting plant pathogenic viruses. The management of these pests is primarily based on application of synthetic pesticides, which not only triggers resistance to insecticide molecules but also contributes to environmental pollution. We aimed to study the attraction of A. biguttula and B. tabaci toward six natural essential oils (NEOs) viz., sandalwood, basil, grapefruit, rose, clove and mint oils using yellow sticky traps under field conditions. The results showed that traps treated with sandalwood and basil oils attract significant numbers of A. biguttula and B. tabaci as compared to the other traps during the seasons 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Further, the Attractive Index (AI) of sandalwood and basil oils to these pests were significantly higher (i.e., >1). In addition, the traps treated with sandalwood and basil oils caught relatively lower numbers of natural enemies. The GC-MS analysis specified the presence of vital attractive volatile compounds, viz., santalene, funebrene and pentadecane in sandalwood; and linalool, β-farnesene, caryophyllene and methyl eugenol in basil oil. Based on the results obtained it can be concluded that application of sandalwood and basil oils increased the attracting efficacy of sticky traps for the management of A. biguttula and B. tabaci in cotton.

Observations on the herbivore diversity in a managed tea plantation and population dynamics of major insect pest in tea with regional weather

Globally, the pattern of incidence of insect pest complex has been changing in all agroecosystem due to climate change and variability. It is essential to know the incidence pattern of insect pest complex in tea for adopting successful management practice. An investigation was carried out to know the present incidence pest scenario of tea at Assam during March 2019 to Feb 2020. The results show the presence of four mite species belonging to single order and 4 families, and a total of 33 insect species belonging to 7 orders and 27 families. Among them red spider mite, tea mosquito bug, whitefly, leafhopper complex and thrips were recorded as important sucking pests. Leaf roller, tea tortrix, and flush worm were recorded as significant chewing pests. Observation shows that the tea whitefly, leaf hopper, thrips, leaf roller and flush worm has become a serious threat to the tea cultivation. The population dynamics of red spider mite and tea mosquito bug recorded a maximum incidence of 30.27 mites/ leaf and 27.17 infested flush/ bush respectively, during the month of November. Both insects were negatively regulated by maximum temperature and rainfall however relative humidity positively influenced population dynamics, as revealed by the correlation coefficient. This study paves way for the development of a new plant protection module to manage the emerging insect pests in tea plantation.

Развитие свекловичной тли (Aphis fabae Scop.) в зависимости от различных фотопериодических условий

Among the sucking pests of sugar beet crops in Azerbaijan, black bean aphid (Aphis fabae Sсop.), which occurs on beet seedlings from the moment of development of true leaves, causes significant damage. Based on this, the task of our study was to study the main life processes of beet aphids depending on photoperiodic conditions. The work was carried out in the Laboratory of Ecology and Physiology of Insects and the Center for Applied Zoology of Azerbaijan National Academy of Science in 2013–2019. The experiments were carried out in special photo thermostats with automatic control of temperature and light. The results obtained show that the light factor is of secondary importance for the duration of the larval, reproductive periods and for the entire development cycle compared to temperature. It should be noted that winged forms (about 50%) appear in aphid colonies during a 12-hour photoperiod at a temperature of 17 °C. Under the conditions of Azerbaijan, such photoperiod is observed at the end of March and at the beginning of October, when aphids migrate from primary to intermediate plants and vice versa in autumn (early October) from intermediate to primary. The length of the day established in the experiments, which causes the appearance of winged forms, is consistent with the phenology of this species.

Potensi Ekstrak Ubi Gadung (Dioscorea hispida Dennst.) dan Ekstrak Gulma Babadotan (Ageratum conyzoides L.) untuk Pengendalian Hama Penghisap Buah Kakao (Helopeltis spp.) di Laboratorium

Cocoa pod sucking (Helopeltis spp.) is one of the pests that causes a productivity decrease of cocoa pod in Indonesia. In terms of control, many farmers in Indonesia are still using synthetic insecticides that are not environmentally friendly, so intoxicating yam (Dioscorea hispida Dennts) and tropical whiteweed (Ageratum conyzoides L.) are used as botanical insecticide that are environmentally friendly. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of botanical insecticide that made of intoxicating yam extract, tropical whiteweed extract, and mixed extract of intoxicating yam and tropical whiteweed on the mortality of cocoa pod sucking pests. This research was carried out from November 2020 to February 2021, at the Plant Laboratory II Estate Crop Department, Politeknik Negeri Lampung. The research used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) consisting of four treatments, namely: P0 (control), P1 (intoxicating yam extract), P2 (tropical whiteweed extract), and P3 (combination of both extracts), which were repeated six times. The highest mortality of cocoa pod sucking pests was found in treatment P1 (72.73%). The mortality of cocoa pod sucking pest was caused by extract of intoxicating yam which contains the active ingredients of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and cyanide which enter the digestive system of the cocoa pod sucking pest as stomach poisons, resulting in the death of the cocoa pod sucking pest. Based on the results of the research, it was concluded that intoxicating yam extract is the most potential as botanical insectiside for cocoa pod sucking pest.

Integrated Potential of Microbial, Botanical, and Chemical Pesticides for the Control of Viral Disease Vector Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on Tomato under Greenhouse and Field Perspectives

Whiteflies are one of the most devastating horticultural pests attacking tomatoes. Although there are several control methods for the control of whitefly pests, the integrated application of entomopathogenic fungi (IPM) with chemical and botanical insecticides has proven more effective than individual control agents. This study was carried out to evaluate individual and combined treatments of entomopathogens B. bassiana, M. anisopliae, B. thuringiensis, Hunter 40 EC, and neem oil for the control of whitefly species on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under greenhouse and field condition. The greenhouse study showed that the different treatments resulted in a 58.48 to 100% reduction of nymphs and a 52.06 to 100% reduction of adults on both Galilea and Melkashola tomato varieties under greenhouse conditions. The combined treatments of AAUMB-29 + Neem oil displayed a higher yield (423.3 g fruits/plant) on the Gelilea tomato variety, and AAUDM-43 + Hunter 40 EC displayed a yield of (376.66 g/plant) on the Melkashola tomato variety. Under field conditions, the application of AAUMB-29 + Hunter 40 EC + Neem oil significantly decreased the whitefly population by 91.93% (P<0.001) after 10 days of the fourth spray. The result of fruit yield of tomato was significantly higher in all treatments (31.17 t to 70.42 t·ha−1) compared to untreated control (25.83 t·ha−1). Among the treatments, AAUMB-29 + Hunter 40 EC + Neem oil gave the highest fruit yield of 70.42 t·ha−1 followed by AAUMB-29 + Hunter 40 EC (64.50 t·ha−1) on the Galilea tomato variety under field conditions. The combined treatment of AAUMB-29 + Hunter 40 EC + Neem oil was the most effective with lower whitefly infestation, higher marketable yields, and less percentage of yield losses. Further investigations are required to determine the optimization and practicability of this integrated application of treatments for the control of both sucking and chewing insect pests under field conditions.

Heterologous expression of cry1Ia12 insecticidal gene in cotton encodes resistance against pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae); an alternate insecticidal gene for insect pest management.

Cotton is continuously exposed to sucking and chewing insect pest pressure since emergence to harvesting. Pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) has become major chewing insect pest to reduce the cotton yield and results in bad lint quality even in transgenic crops. The efficiency of insecticidal genes has been compromised due to extensive utilization of transgenic crops. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of an alternate cry1Ia12 insecticidal gene against pink bollworm (PBW) in cotton. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harboring pCAMBIA2300 expression vector containing cry1Ia12 gene under the control of 35S CaMV was used to transform a local cotton cultivar GS-01. The various molecular analyses revealed the transgene integration and expression in primary transformants. Among five selected transgenic plants, tcL-08 showed maximum (16.06-fold) mRNA expression of cry1Ia12 gene whereas tcL-03 showed minimum (2.33-fold) expression. Feeding bioassays of 2nd and 3rd instar pink bollworm (PBW) larvae on immature cotton bolls, flowers and cotton squares revealed up to 33.33% mortality on tcL-08 while lowest mortality (13.33%) was observed in tcL-03 and tcL-15. Furthermore, the average weight and size of survived larvae fed on transgenic plants was significantly lesser than the average weight of larvae survived on non-transgenic plants. The present study suggests the cry1Ia12 gene as an alternate insecticidal gene for the resistance management of cotton bollworms, especially PBW.

Cytochrome P450 Gene, CYP6CX3, Is Involved in the Resistance to Cyantraniliprole in Bemisia tabaci.

Bemisia tabaci is an important agricultural sucking pest, and it develops serious resistance to various insecticides. Although cytochrome P450 was involved in the resistance to cyantraniliprole, limited studies have been conducted on B. tabaci. In the present study, piperonyl butoxide significantly increased the toxicity of cyantraniliprole. P450 activities in two resistant populations were 1.97- and 2.17-fold higher than that in the susceptible population. Among 79 P450 genes, CYP6CX3 expressions in two resistant populations were 3.08- and 3.67-fold higher than that in the susceptible population. When CYP6CX3 was knocked down, the toxicity of cyantraniliprole increased significantly. The LC50 value of cyantraniliprole to the Drosophila melanogaster line overexpressing B. tabaci CYP6CX3 increased 7.34-fold. The content of cyantraniliprole was decreased by 25.74 ± 4.27% after mixing with CYP6CX3 and CPR for 2 h. These results suggested that the overexpression of CYP6CX3 was likely involved in the resistance to cyantraniliprole in B. tabaci.

The Metarhizium anisopliae Strains Expressing dsRNA of the NlCHSA Enhance Virulence to the Brown Planthopper Nilaparvata lugens

Metarhizium anisopliae is a broad-spectrum entomopathogenic fungus with large-scale applications in pest control; however, its slow-killing action is a limiting factor. To enhance fungal virulence, we constructed transgenic M. anisopliae strains that expressed dsRNA targeting the chitin synthase gene A in the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (NlCHSA). The transcription of NlCHSA was suppressed in N. lugens infected by transgenic M. anisopliae strains. Consequently, the cumulative mortality of N. lugens caused by those transgenic strains was increased by 34.7–40.0% on day 6 after inoculation, and their median lethal times (LT50) were about 50% compared to the wild-type strain. Our results demonstrate that dsRNA expression in M. anisopliae caused RNA silencing in the host insect after infection and hence greatly enhanced the fungal virulence, highlighting a new strategy for augmentation of fungal virulence against sucking pests.

Screening of genotypes of okra against major sucking pests infesting okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)

The present investigation entitled “Screening of different genotypes of okra against major sucking pests infesting okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)” was carried during kharif season of 2019-2020 at Central Experimental Station, Wakawali. Forty genotypes were screened against leaf hoppers, aphids and whiteflies under field condition. The genotypes showed different responses for different sucking pests. The highest mean population of leaf hoppers was recorded on the genotype Pusa Sawani (8.08), while lowest was observed on Kashi Pragati (3.93) per three leaves. In aphids, the most promising genotype was Kashi Pragati (4.90) mean population per three leaves, while genotype Pusa Sawani was most infested by aphid (7.55) per three leaves. Highest whiteflies infestation was recorded on genotype Parbhani Kranti (4.97) and lowest was noticed on genotype Kashi Pragati (2.95).

МОНИТОРИНГ РАЗВИТИЯ СОСУЩИХ НАСЕКОМЫХ В ВИНОГРАДНЫХ АГРОЦЕНОЗОВ

Тhe article presents data on the prevalence of sucking pests ‒ grape thrips, rose leafhopper, buffalo leafhopper during the growing season of grapevine plants in 2021. In recent years, an increase in the number and harmfulness of sucking pests of thrips and leafhoppers has been noted in the Rostov region, which is due to climate change, the weakening of organiza-tional and economic measures and agricultural practices (an increase in the number of waste lands and the spread of weeds on them). The research was carried out in the conditions of the experimental fields of the "Novocherkassk" and "Nizhenekundryuchensky" departments on the varieties Cvetochniy and Cabernet Severny. So, in the conditions of 2021, two generations of grapevine thrips, three generations of roseate cicadas and one generation of ceres-buffalo ci-cadas developed. In the course of monitoring studies, we found that the most widespread populations in the conditions of the vegetation period of 2021 were: the roseate cicada and the ceres-buffalo cicada, which were identified both in the conditions of the experimental field of the Novocherkassk branch (more South – Novocherkassk) so it is in the conditions of the experimental field of the "Nizh-nekundryuchenkso" department (more northern – Ust-Donetsk district). Planning and organiza-tion of plant protection should be based on the forecast of the phytosanitary state of the agro-cenosis, which is based on the monitoring of harmful sucking pests.

Molecular identification of scale insect (Eulecanium giganteum) in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a widely grown evergreen valuable medicinal, ornamental species planted in India. Scale insects are small herbivorous insects found on all continents and they are serious sap sucking pests of many ornamental plants. These scale insects are undetectable due to their tiny size, basic morphology, and polyphagous feeding nature. Hence, the management of these tiny insects become a serious concern across the globe. To afford a prospective solution to the problem, an accurate, simple, and developmental-stage-independent identification method is required, hence this study attempted the molecular identification of scale insect in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis using mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (mtCOI) sequencing. The experiment was carried out by isolating insect DNA using a modified CTAB method. Through two or three rounds of error-prone PCR followed by a steady procedure to amplify a mtCOI region. This region of mtCOI has been used as a standard DNA barcode for a diverse array of taxa. The confirmation has been done by sequencing of mtCOI which suggest the highest similarities with Eulecanium giganteum. This study addresses the questions of biodiversity and molecular characterization of scale insects. Further, the information obtained in this study provides baseline data for future crop improvement programs and integrated pest management strategies.

Response of Natural Enemies toward Selective Chemical Insecticides; Used for the Integrated Management of Insect Pests in Cotton Field Plots

Sucking pests of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), such as thrips, or Thrips tabaci Lindeman, and jassid, or Amrasca biguttula Ishida, are among the most threatening insect pests to young cotton plants in Pakistan. New chemical insecticides have been trialed to control their damage in commercial fields. Formulations that show good suppression of these pest’s populations, while sparing bio-controlling agents, are always preferred for obtaining better crop yield. Six different commercially available insecticides, namely Fountain® (fipronil and imidacloprid), Movento Energy® (spirotetramat and imidacloprid), Oshin® (dinotefuran), Concept Plus® (pyriproxyfen, fenpyroximate, and acephate), Maximal® (nitenpyram), and Radiant® (spinetoram) were evaluated in the present study to shortlist the best available insecticide against targeted pests. Harmful impacts of selected insecticides were also evaluated against naturally occurring predators, such as spiders and green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea). Radiant® (spinetoram) and Movento Energy®, respectively, were best at controlling thrips (with 61% and 56% mortality, respectively) and jassid (62% and 57% mortality, respectively) populations during 2018 and 2019. Radiant® proved itself as the best option and showed minimal harmful effects on both major arthropod predators of cotton fields i.e., spiders (with 8–9% mortality) and green lacewings (with 12–16% mortality). Movento Energy® also showed comparatively less harmful effects (with 15–18% mortality) towards natural predatory fauna of cotton crops, as compared to other selective insecticides used in the study. The findings of current study suggest that the judicious use of target-oriented insecticides can be an efficient and predator-friendly management module in cotton fields. However, the impact of these chemicals is also depended on their timely application, keeping in consideration the ETL of pests and the population of beneficial arthropods.

Screening of Mungbean Genotypes Against Whitefly <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> (Genn.) And Thrips <i>Megalurothrips distalis</i> (Karny)

Ten green gram genotypes (K 851, GM 4, Meha, VMS 6 (GM-5), IPM 205-7 (Virat), Vaibhav, AKM-6802, CO-5, AKM-8803 and PM-2) were screened for their resistance to the sucking pests. The field experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm, JAU, Junagadh during summer 2018. None of the varieties proved highly resistant to the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) and thrips Megalurothrips distalis (Karny); however, Meha, IPM 205-7 (Virat), and VMS 6 (GM-5) were found resistant. The varieties Vaibhav, CO-5 and PM-2 have been classified as moderately resistant (MR) to B. tabaci and AKM- 6802 was moderately susceptible (MS) to both the pests. The susceptible (S) category included the AKM-8803, GM-4, and K-851 varieties.

The Exploitation of Heterosis for Yield and its Components of Tomato Hybrids for Use as Commercial Variety Development

A study was conducted in tomato to estimate the magnitude of heterosis for yield and yield related components at the Olericulture Division of Horticulture Research Centre, BARI during the winter season of 2021-22. Appreciable heterosis was found over better parents for all the traits studied in a desirable direction. Significant negative better parent heterosis was expressed for days to first flowering (4 combinations), days to 50% flowing (6 combinations), days to first harvest (7 combinations), and days to fruit maturity (8 combinations), while significant positive better parent heterosis was noticed in seven and three cross combinations for number of fruits per plant and single fruit weight, respectively. In our study, five cross combinations, viz., F1 203 (25.65%), F1 1501 (14.34%), F1 2101 (14.32%), F1 2301 (15.62%) and F1 2501 (16.22%) showed significantly positive better parent heterosis for higher yield. Six combinations were found to have significant positive heterosis with higher values in F1 1903 (21.95%), F1 2001 (19.62%), F1 2101 (12.84%) for TSS, while the significant negative better parent heterosis for TYLCV infection and leaf sucking pest infestation varied from -100% to 0.00%. Thus, it is evident from the data that, based on better parent heterosis of different yield and yield contributing traits, the cross combinations viz., F1 203, F1 1501, F1 2101, F1 2301 and F1 2501 may be investigated further for developing better hybrid tomato varieties.

A Study on Affordable Homestead Implements for Stress Reduction on Body Parts amongst Farm Workers of Khammam District, India

The rural populations consisting of marginal and poor farmers are dependent on labourers for all farm related activities like sowing / planting of paddy, harvesting of agricultural and horticultural produce and application of pesticides which can be very costly. These labourers also face a lot of problems in sowing / planting of paddy as it has to be done by bending down continuously or during application of pesticides to cotton fields drift can be major health concern and harvesting different produce like bhendi due to its thorny spikes and capsaicin content of chilies. In view of this, KVK, Wyra, Khammam has assessed cost effective homestead implements and is relentlessly trying to popularize them. These included use of protective clothing during application of pesticides, rolling stem applicator for controlling sucking pest in cotton, knitted gloves for bhendi plucking and chilli finger guard for its plucking. These simple and cost-effective farm implements helped farm women in drudgery reduction, ergonomic stress on various body parts, improved work efficiency, decreased labour cost and body allergies. Protective clothing reduced itching, irritation, skin allergies, burning, vomiting, headache and faintness over a month’s time, rolling stem applicator was ecofriendly and decreased the amount of chemicals, knitted gloves for bhendi plucking reduced the bruising and repeated damage to fingers during harvesting and chilli finger guard. The reduction in stress on body parts automatically improved the work efficiency among farm workers.

EVALUATION OF TRANSGENIC COTTON CULTIVARS CONTAINING CRY TOXINS FROM BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS AGAINST THRIPS

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a significant fiber crop that is contributing 7 to 10% in the GDP of Pakistan. In the production of cotton, Pakistan is ranked at 4th position among the major cotton growing countries. Various insect pests, especially sucking and chewing pests, attack cotton crop. Among the sucking pests, thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman) causes the most significant damage to cotton at seedling stage. Due to tremendous usage of insecticides, these pests have developed resistance against insecticides. Therefore, cultivation of resistant cotton varieties is the best tactic that can minimize the attack of thrips on this crop. In the present study, five Bt cotton varieties with different cry toxins were evaluated for their resistance/susceptible response to thrips. The cotton cultivars selected for this study were including four Bt cotton cultivars (two single and two double toxins) and one non-Bt cotton cultivar. The experiment was carried out under climatic conditions of Faisalabad, Pakistan. There was not any pronounced difference in thrips population on different Bt cotton cultivars either they were single or dual toxin gene cotton cultivars. MNH-186 and FH-141 showed decreasing trend in population of thrips with the passage of time as compared to other Bt cotton cultivars. The little variation in thrips population among the Bt cotton cultivars showed that all Bt cotton varieties had good control effect on the thrips population. Thrips population was insignificant with respect to leaf position i.e. upper, middle and lower leaves. Correlation study of thrips population with different environmental factors exhibited r values of -0.2213, 0.49837 and 0.41735 for temperature, humidity and rain fall, respectively.

SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT PEST MANAGEMENT MODULES AGAINST VECTOR AND SUCKING PESTS OF BITTER GOURD

<p class="abstrakinggris">Bitter gourd, <em>Momordica charantia </em>Linn., is one of the most important traditional vegetable in India. Infestations of sucking pests especially jassid, and whitefly occurred thorough out the crop growth period in the region. For ecofriendly management, different pest management modules <em>viz</em>., bio-intensive, chemical, and integrated modules were evaluated against these sucking pests and compared under field conditions during 2019–2021. Among the three tested modules, the integrated pest management (IPM) comprised seed treatment with imidacloprid @ 5–10 g kg<sup>-1 </sup>of seed, installation of yellow sticky traps @ 25–30 ha<sup>-1</sup>, border crop with maize, spraying of azadirachtin 1500 ppm @ 10 ml L<sup>-1</sup>, thiamethoxam @ 1 g 3<sup>-1</sup> L, imidacloprid @ 1 g 12<sup>-1</sup> L, cyantraniliprole @ 1.8 ml L<sup>-1</sup>, neem oil (0.5%) + <em>Lecanicillium lecanii</em> @ 2.5 g L<sup>-1</sup>, and neem oil (0.5%) + <em>Beauveria bassiana</em> @ 2.5 g L<sup>-1</sup> from 20 to 70 days after sowing at 10 days intervals each harboured lowest whiteflies population (0.63 per leaf) with maximum per cent reduction over control of 70.14. The number of predatory lady bird beetles and polyphagous spiders were also higher. The highest healthy fruit yields (171, 179, and 153 q ha<sup>-1</sup>) were recorded from the IPM module for three consecutive years (2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively). In terms of return, maximum net profit of ₹71,211 was obtained from the IPM module with the highest incremental cost-benefit ratio of 1:5.18. Therefore, the IPM module could be a viable ecofriendly option in the management of the sucking pests of bitter gourd, along with the conservation of natural enemies.</p>

Sucking Pests and their Natural Enemies in Mulberry

During 2018-2019, a study was conducted to study the sucking pests and their natural enemies in mulberry at the Regional Sericulture Research Station, Central Silk Board, Jamuguri, Jorhat, Govt. Sericulture Farm, Titabar and Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat. Five species of sucking pests were prevalent in various mulberry growing areas of the Jorhat district of Assam. Paracoccus marginatus was the most common of these; others include- Maconellicoccus hirsutus, Pseudodendothrips mori, P. marginatus, Aleurodicus dispersus, Clovia puncta. Three coccinellid predators Coccinella septempunctata, Coccinella transversalis and Micraspis discolor, as well as one species of lepidopteran predator Spalgis epius were found to associated with P. marginatus. and of these S. epius was the most abundant.