Evaluation of pest management packages for their performance against major insect pests and predatory fauna of Okra in Gangetic alluvial plain of West Bengal

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out to study the field-effectiveness of different pest management modules (M-1: bio-intensive, M-2: farmers’ conventional package of practice, M-3: proposed IPM compatible bio-rational module and M-4: adaptable package of practice) against major insect pests of okra and their impact on prevailing natural enemies and crop yield during spring summer season of 2015 and 2016 (February-May). Mean percent reduction of leafhopper population over untreated control was highest in Module-3 (59.33%) followed by Module-4 (42.84%) while, in case of whitefly, Module-3 recorded lowest number of nymphs and adults (2.01/ leaf) followed by Module-2. Module-3 registered lowest mean population of Helicoverpa armigera (0.17 larvae/ plant) along with lowest mean fruit damage (3.22%) and highest yield (13.69 t/ ha). Highest mean number of Coccinellids and spiders were encountered in Module-3 (0.32 and 0.31 per plant respectively) also which can be an excellent option for sustainable management of major insect pests of okra.