Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
insect pests (Biradar et al. 1998), aphids and scale insects (Culliney
and Pimentel 1986; Costello and Altiei 1995; Huelsman et al. 2000)
and brinjal shoot and fruit borer (Sudhakar et al. 1998). Several reports
also evidenced that vermicompost addition decreased the incidence
of
Spodoptera litura, Helicoverpa armigera
, leaf miner (
Apoaerema
modicella
), jassids (
Empoasca kerri)
, aphids (
Aphis craccivora
) and
spider mites on groundnuts (Rao et al. 2001; Rao 2002, 2003) and psyl-
lids (
Heteropsylla cubana
) on a tropical leguminous tree (
Leucaena
leucocephala
) (Biradar et al. 1998). Vermicompost amendment de-
creased the incidence of sucking pests under field conditions (Ramesh
2000) and suppressed the damage caused by of two-spotted spider mite
(
Tetranychus
spp.), aphid (
Myzus persicae
) (Edwards et al. 2007) and
mealy bug (
Pseudococcus
spp.) under green house conditions (Aran-
con et al. 2007). Vermicompost substitution to soil less plant growth
medium MetroMix 360 (MM360) at a rate less then 50% reduced the
damage caused by infestation of pepper seedlings by
M. persicae
and
Pseudococcus
spp. and tomato seedlings by
Pseudococcus
spp., cab-
bage seedlings by
M. persicae
and cabbage white caterpillars (
Pieris
brassicae
L.) (Arancon et al. 2005). Greenhouse cage experiments
conducted on tomatoes and cucumber seedlings infested with
M. per-
sicae
, citrus mealybug (
Planococcus citri
), two spotted spider mite
(
Tetranychus urticae
); striped cucumber beetles (
Acalymna vittatum
)
attacking cucumbers and tobacco hornworms (
Manduca sexta
) attack-
ing tomatoes proved that treatment of infested plants with aqueous ex-
tracts of vermicompost suppressed pest establishment, and their rates
of reproduction. Vermicompost teas at higher dose also brought about
pest mortality (Edwards et al. 2010b). Suppression of aphid popula-
tion gains importance since they are key vectors in transmission of
plant viruses. Addition of solid vermicompost reduced damage by
A.
vittatum
and spotted cucumber beetles (
Diabotrica undecimpunctata
)
on cucumbers and larval hornworms (
Manduca quinquemaculata
)
on tomatoes in both greenhouse and field experiments (Yardim et al.
2006). Combined application of vermicompost and vermiwash spray
to chilli (
Capiscum annum
) significantly reduced the incidence of
'Thrips' (
Scirtothrips dorsalis
) and 'Mites' (
Polyphagotarsonemus latus
)
(Saumaya et al. 2007).
