INCIDENCE OF INSECT PESTS ON CAULIFLOWER AND THEIR MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The study was conducted in research field of the Department of Entomology, Shere-Bangla Agricultural

University, Dhaka in order to study the incidence of insect pests on cauliflower and management of major pests. Five treatments such as Sevin, Abamectin, Spinosad, Cypermethrin and control were used in this study. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Eight insect pests such as diamond back moth (Plutella xylostella L.), cabbage butterfly (Pieris brassicae), tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura Fab.), mustard aphid (Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.), flea beetle (Phyllotreta cruciferae Goeze.), painted bug (Bagrada cruciferarum Kirk.), whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.) and cabbage aphid (Brevicornye brassicae L.) was found to infest cauliflower in field of which the former four was frequently observed and the latter were appeared in traces. Population of diamondback moth, tobacco caterpillar, cabbage butterfly and aphid were gradually increased with the age of the crop and the peak population was observed at 45 viii th SW, at 48 th SW and at 51 st SW, respectively. In context of controlling insect pests of cauliflower, the lowest number of diamondback moth caterpillar population (0.42 larvae per plot), aphid (13.08 aphids per plot), tobacco caterpillar (0.98 larvae per plot) and cabbage caterpillar population (0.13 larvae per plot) obtained from Spinosad. The same treatment also gave the highest curd yield (51.48 t ha -1 ) of cauliflower. Considering pest infestation, curd yield and environmental safety, spinosad may be used for the management of major insect pests of cauliflower.