Seasonal incidence of insect pests on sweet corn and their natural enemies at Raipur (Chhattisgarh)

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted during spring season of 2013-14 and 2014-15. Field experiments were conducted at Research Farm, IGKV, Raipur (C.G.). On the basis of seasonal activities of insect pests observed on sweet corn crop during spring 2013 and 2014, nineteen insect pests were observed at different growth stages of crop. Pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens, was found to be the dominant pest of sweet corn observed from seedling stage up to maturity stage in both spring seasons followed by cob borer, Helicoverpa armigera and corn aphid, R. maidis. Nineteen natural enemies (predators) were also observed among which eight were insects and remaining were spiders. Among predators staphylinid beetles, coccinellid beetles and spiders were predominant.