Bio-ecology of major insect pests of aswagandha [Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal] and their management
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Date
2006
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Publisher
MPUAT, Udaipur
Abstract
Investigation on “Bio-ecology of major insect pests of aswagandha [Withania
somnifera (L.) Dunal] and their management” were carried out during 2005-06 in
Department of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, RCA, MPUAT, Udaipur with a
view to record the diversity and abundance of pests, study the biology of hada beetle
and evaluate the bioefficacy of botanicals. The hada beetle (H. vigintioctopunctata)
was the major pest infesting aswagandha. The population of adults as well as grubs
was the maximum during October and November 2005. Their population reappeared
in the last week of February 2006, continuing upto April, 2006. The atmospheric
temperature and relative humidity exhibited a varied influence on both the grubs and
adults. A study on the biology revealed that eggs were laid in clusters of 2 to 65 by
the gravid females and the maximum fecundity was 500. The total developmental
period (egg to adult) was from 24.0 to 48.3 days during July to November 2005 and
21.5 to 28.0 days during March to May 2006. The average longevity of the female
was 103.5 days during July to November 2005 and 80 days during March to May
2006; whereas that of the male was 95 and 70 days respectively for the corresponding
period. The average body length and width of male was 5.7 and 4.0 mm, whereas, that
of female was 7.5 and 4.5 mm, respectively. Of the different botanicals evaluated,
karanj oil (5, 2.5, 1.25 and 0.625 %) had the maximum anti-feedant activity as no
feeding was observed 24 and 48 hours after treatment, besides, it also resulted into
100 per cent mortality. Aswagandha seed yield for the different botanical treatments
differed significantly, however, there was no significant difference among the
treatments in the root yield.
Description
Bio-ecology of major insect pests of aswagandha [Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal] and their management
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Citation
Suman and Swaminathan, 2006