Impact of nutrient management in Zizyphus mauritiana (Lamb.) on the survivability of lac insect and the yield of Aghani crop of Kusmi lac

Abstract

Kerria lacca (Kerr) is a phloem feeder and secretes lac over its body. Lac serves as a cash crop to forest dependents, rainfed and resource poor farmers. Lac productivity is low, as nutrient management of host trees of K. lacca is rarely followed. Impact study in K. lacca inoculated Zizyphus mauritiana (Lamb.) conducted during 2013-14, revealed that there was an increase in both the survivability of K. lacca as well as resin production by it. The mean percentage survivability of K. lacca at maturity of the lac crop was highest (17.21%) over control in case of plants treated with NPK. It was followed by N and NP treatments (12% and 10.71%, respectively). Similarly, the mean fresh weight (g) of 100 cells of lac insect was also highest in case of NPK (21.39%) over control, followed by N and NP treatments (15.84% and 14.25%, respectively). The mean dry weight (g) of 100 cell of lac insects was highest in case of NPK (19.71%) followed by NP (14.50%) and N (13.57%).