Influence of Ecological Engineering on Major Lepidopteron Pests and Natural Enemies of Paddy in Tungabhadra Project Area

Author: Raghavendra Yaligar*, Shivanna B.K., Sreenivas A.G., Jaylaxmi Narayana Hegde and Sharanabasappa

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Abstract

Continuous usage of pesticides in paddy over several decades has resulted in the development of resistant strains of insects to insecticides and resistant cultivars and reduction in natural enemy population. The present investigation aims to make the agro-ecosystem suitable for the better survival of natural enemies of pests and habitat manipulation aims to provide natural enemies of pests with nectar, pollen, physical refuge, alternate prey, alternate hosts, and living sites. The experiment was conducted at ARS, Gangavathi, Koppal district during Kharif 2016 and rabi-summer 2016-17 to evaluate the influence of ecological engineering on major lepidopteron pests and natural enemies of paddy in Tungabhadra Project Area. The pooled data showed that the mean-field incidence of stem borer and leaf folder ranged from 1.26 to 5.38 and 0.78 to 3.33 percent, respectively. Among all ecological engineering crops, paddy + cowpea as bund crop significantly enhanced the more number of natu

Keywords

Cowpea, ecological engineering, leaf folder, paddy and yellow stem borer

Conclusion

In conclusion the experimental results with respect to the experiment conducted among the ecological engineering crops grown on paddy bunds paddy with cowpea recorded lowest stem borer incidence followed by paddy + marigold and paddy + sunhemp which recorded 34.39, 31.60 and 27.51 per cent reduction of dead heart over UTC, respectively. Similar trend was noticed in leaf damage caused by leaf folder paddy + cowpea, paddy + marigold and paddy + sunhemp which recorded lowest 39.64, 33.93 and 33.63 per cent reduction of leaf damage over control, respectively. Significantly highest yield of 45.92 q ha-1 was obtained in paddy+cowpea treatment, followed by paddy+sunhemp (43.94q ha-1) and paddy+marigold (42.94qha-1). The result reveals that the adoption of ecological engineering practices in paddy cultivation reduces the pest infestation and improves the productivity in an eco-friendly manner.

References

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How to cite this article

Yaligar, R., Shivanna, B.K., Sreenivas A.G., Jaylaxmi Narayana Hegde and Sharanabasappa (2021). Influence of Ecological Engineering on Major Lepidopteron Pests and Natural Enemies of Paddy in Tungabhadra Project Area. Biological Forum – An International