EFFECT OF MICRONUTRIENTS (B, Zn & Mn) ON INCIDENCE, DAMAGE SEVERITY OF SUCKING INSECT PESTS OF SUNFLOWER AND THEIR IMPACT ON YIELD, QUALITY SEED PRODUCTION AND BENEFICIAL ARTHROPODS

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the experimental field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from October, 2021 to March 2022 to evaluate the effect of micronutrients on incidence, damage severity of insect pests of sunflower and its impact on yield and beneficial arthropods. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design replicated with three times. For this study, T ii 1 = Boron @ 8.0 kg/ ha + ZnSO @ 9.6 kg/ ha; T 2 = Spraying 0.2% Borax @ 2g/L of water; T 3 = Spraying 0.2% ZnSO @ 2g/L of water; T 4 = Spraying 0.5% Borax @ 2g/L of water; T 5 4 = Spraying 0.2% Borax and 0.2% ZnSO @ 2g/L of water; T 6 = Spraying 0.5% ZnSO 4 @ 2g/L of water; T 7 = MnSO 4 @ 9 kg/ ha; T = No micronutrient (control). The maximum plant height (180.2 cm), leaf area (65.44 cm ), capitulum diameter (12.04 cm), diameter of flower with petal (22.33 cm), number of petal (45.34), number of calex (59.33), number of seed per head (1015), weight of seeds per head (85.26 g), weight of total seed per plot (2.56 kg), weight of single seed (0.084 g), yield (2.92 t/ha), oil content (46.54 %), protein content (22.38 %), seed vigourity (78.52%) and seed viability (91.67%) were observed from T treatment. Again, the minimum number of whitefly per plant at reproductive stage (9.67 whitefly), jassid per plant at vegetative stage (6.67 jassid), aphid per plant at ripening stage (5.33 aphid), stink bug per plant (0.24 stink bug), number of infested leaves (2.89 leaves) and percent leaf infestation (12.46 %) were also observed from T 5 treatment. In case of beneficial arthropod, the maximum number of syrphid fly per plot (1.50 syrphid fly), honey bee per plot (3.33 honey bee), lady bird beetle per plot (2.50 lady bird beetle) and ant per plot (1.67 ant per plot) were observed from T

5 treatment.