American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 16 (9): 1597-1601, 2016 ISSN 1818-6769 © IDOSI Publications, 2016 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2016.1597.1601

Is the Use of Yellow Sticky Trap Detrimental to Natural Enemy Complex of Tea Pests?

12Souvik Sen, Sunil Kumar Pathak and 3 Maqbool Lyngdoh Suiam

1Tea Research Association, Meghalaya Advisory Centre, Lumnongrim, Dewlieh, Umsning, Pin-793105, Meghalaya, 2Tea Research Association, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, Pin-785008, Assam, India 3Department of Horticulture, Directorate of Agriculture, Govt. of Meghalaya, Tea Development Centre, Lumnongrim, Dewlieh, Umsning, Pin-793105, Meghalaya, India

Abstract: Yellow Sticky Traps are excellent tools for precision monitoring of thrips, jassids, white flies and leaf miners and largely used in the tea plantations of North East India. But the question comes in the tea planters’ mind whether there is any adverse effect of such traps on the natural enemy complex of tea pest. In view of this, the present study was undertaken in organically managed tea garden of Meghalaya having higher diversity and density of natural enemies. The study revealed that there is no negative impact on natural enemy population concerning the use of yellow sticky traps. In addition a clear picture was received on type of trapped in the sticky traps.

Key words: Yellow sticky trap North East India Tea plantation Pest Natural enemy

INTRODUCTION submarginata), scale and mealy bugs are recognized as minor pests which may also adversely India is the second largest black tea producer in the affect the production of tea bushes [3-5]. The minor status world. North East India contributes more than 60% of the of several pests is due to the action of the natural enemies gross national tea production. India is also the world’s which are mostly arthropods. Arthropods occupy a wide largest tea drinking nation; 90% of all Indian households variety of functional niches and microhabitats and play a are regular tea drinkers [1]. Tea plants are attacked by a major role in the sustainable and healthy functioning of variety of herbivores and the profile of pests vary from tea ecosystem [6]. Species diversity of arthropods in the region to region. The biggest challenge for tea growers of tea ecosystem of India comprised of 721 species India nowadays is to battle against pests and diseases. belonging to 13 Orders and 141 Families. Out of the 721 Crop loss due to pests varies between 15 to 20% [2]. The species, 380 are pests while, 341 species are natural major tea pests of North East India are red spider mite enemies [7]. The accumulation of species on tea (Oligonychus coffeae), tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis is influenced by various factors including the age of theivora), tea thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis), tea jassid plants; the older tea plantations harbor more number of (Empoasca flavescens) and loopers (Buzura suppressaria, species [8]. talaca, Hyposidra infixaria) which have Pest control decisions are often based on trap gained considerable importance during the last one catches as a physical control tool of IPM. Insects are decade owing to the severity of damage and magnitude of differentially attracted to coloured surfaces, particularly crop loss to tea in North East India. Red slug caterpillars yellow as a general insect attractant. Yellow trap has often (Eterusia magnifica), bunch caterpillar (Andraca been used in the ecological studies of sucking insect bipunctata), flush worm ( leucostoma), leaf roller pests in agro-ecosystems. Insects that are attracted to ( theivora), leaf miner (Tropicomyia theae), this yellowish device include important crop pests such termites (Microcerotermes sp. & Odontotermes sp.), as plant hoppers, leafhoppers, aphids, white flies, thrips aphid (Toxoptera aurantii), black caterpillar (Arctornis and leaf miner flies [9-16]. Use of yellow sticky trap works

Corresponding Author: Souvik Sen, Tea Research Association, Meghalaya Advisory Centre, Lumnongrim, Dewlieh, Umsning, Pin-793105, Meghalaya, India. 1597 Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 16 (9): 1597-1601, 2016 best in tea for controlling the population radix of sucking enemies. The study revealed that the Order Hemiptera pests viz. thrips, jassids, white flies and adults of tea contained the highest number of trapped arthropod mosquito bugs. This traps are environment-friendly, cost- species (39.08%) followed by Diptera (27.15%), effective and reducing the number of pesticide spraying Thysanoptera (25.06%), Hymenoptera (4.86%), Blattodea round [17-20]. Towards the physical pest control (1.05%), (1.05%), Coleoptera (1%) and operation, the planters of North East India were advised Araneae (0.75%) [Fig.1 & 2]. to use such sticky plates to monitor and control sucking pests mainly thrips, jassids & white flies. But several times we have been asked with the following questions: 1) What are the arthropod species other than tea pest trapped in sticky traps? 2) Is the use of such trap detrimental to the natural enemies of tea pests? Systematic studies on the potential effect of using the sticky traps for mass trapping of harmful insects or non- targeted insects (predators and parasitoids), are lacking. The present study therefore, is aimed at unfolding the trapping of arthropod species in yellow sticky traps used in the tea ecosystem of North East India. The diversity and density of predators are believed to be more in organically managed tea gardens as compared to conventional ones at any point of time [21-22]. Therefore, the present study has been conducted in an organic tea Fig. 1: Arthropod fauna trapped on the yellow sticky garden of Meghalaya, North East India. traps used in a tea garden of Meghalaya

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study has been conducted in the experimental field of Horticulture Department, Govt. of Meghalaya at Tea Development Centre, Umsning, District Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya. The garden is bio-organic in practice and situated at 800m msl. The investigation was conducted in 1ha area over a period of 4 months (March-June 2016). No bio-pesticide has been applied during the period of study. The yellow sticky traps were placed above the bush canopy randomly in the tea field @ 5 yellow sticky Fig. 2: Proportion (%) of different Arthropod Orders traps per 1000m2 . Position of the traps were changed at trapped on yellow sticky traps in a tea garden of weekly interval and replaced at fortnightly interval. The Meghalaya during cropping period. surface area of a sticky trap was 630cm2 (30cm×21cm). Table 1: List of arthropod species trapped on yellow sticky traps Interval of 15 days, the traps with arthropods were brought to the laboratory and the number of arthropods Arthropod Orders Representatives per trap was recorded order wise. The arthropods were Araneae Jumping & Crab spiders identified with the help of available taxonomic literatures Blattodea Termites & Cockroach nymphs [3,23,24]. Coleoptera Lady bird beetles & Scarab beetles or Scarabaeidae Diptera Leaf miner flies , Syrphids or Hover flies, Shore flies, RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS House flies , Mosquitoes & Tipulidae or Crane flies Hemiptera Jassids, White flies, Aphids & Tea mosquito bugs Hymenoptera Ants, Bees & Wasps The present study was conducted during the Lepidoptera Leaf roller adults & other cropping period in a specific time frame which coincides Thysanoptera Thrips with the activity of sucking pests and their natural

1598 Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 16 (9): 1597-1601, 2016

It is estimated that more than 1000 species of arthropods infest tea all over the world [25] as pests, casual visitors and also as predators and parasitoids of pests [26]. The presence of insects feeding on the tea plants and shade tress invariably has led to the buildup of several species of insect parasitoids and predators [6 , 27] and the foliage below the plucking surface is important as a refuge for natural enemies [6]. The intensity of activities of predators and the parasitoids have been found to be very high in North East India [28]. Among the predators active in the tea plantations of North East India, lady bird beetles and spiders are the most dominant and number of Fig. 3: Percentage (%) of hemipteran pests trapped on predators are more than that of parasitoids [21 , 29]. yellow sticky traps in a tea garden of Meghalaya Instead of this high diversity of natural enemies in the tea during cropping period. plantation of NE India, it is worth to mention that only negligible percentages (2.95%) of predators (spiders & Most of the sucking tea pests trapped in the yellow sticky lady bird beetles) as well as parasitoids (Hymenopteran plates is representative of the order Hemiptera (Jassids, wasps) were trapped in the sticky traps along with their White flies, Aphids, Tea mosquito bugs) & Thysanoptera prey. (Thrips). Among hemipteran insects, Jassids (65.71%) top During the period of study red spider mites, tea the list followed by white flies (15.37%), aphids (13.1%) mosquito bugs, thrips, jassids, white flies, leaf rollers and and tea mosquito bugs (5.82%) (Fig. 3). Other minor pest leaf miners were found to be active in the experimental like leaf roller, leaf miner and termite belongs to order plots of Horticulture Department. Considering their peak Lepidoptera, Diptera and Blattodea respectively (Table 1). period of activity [3,30-32] the study phase was thus Among the trapped arthropods, spiders (Araneae), lady selected. But the potential natural enemies of sucking bird beetles (Coleoptera) and parasitoid wasps pests like Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera), praying (Hymenoptera) are the only members of natural enemy mantis (Mantodea), reduviid bugs (Hemiptera) etc. [3,30- complex (Table 1). The overall collection reflects a high 32] have not been ensnared in the sticky devices. richness of arthropod pests in relation to natural enemies Therefore, the natural enemy complex has not been (predators and parasitoids), where the arthropod pests disturbed at all and maximum percentage (66.68%) of and natural enemies comprised 66.68 and 2.95 per cent of trapped arthropod species are recognized as pests of tea. the total arthropod species trapped on the sticky devices (Fig.4). CONCLUSION

The present study revealed that the use of yellow sticky trap in tea plantation has no detrimental effect on the natural enemy population of tea pests. Therefore, the planters can use such trap in their tea fields without any hesitation. This sticky trap works best for sucking pests and helps in tapping the population of thrips, jassids, white flies and adults of tea mosquito bugs. They are environment-friendly and cost-effective. It is always wise to follow the respective TRI’s recommendation before installing such traps in the tea fields. Tea is unique because only of its vegetative parts ‘two leaves and bud’ are commercially exploited where pollinator has no role to Fig. 4: Percentage (%) of arthropod pests in relation to play and use of such sticky plates has no adverse effect natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) upon tea ecosystem. On the other hand, prey-predator & trapped on yellow sticky traps in a tea garden of parasitoid coactions prevailing in the tea ecosystems of Meghalaya during cropping period. North East India should be optimized by minimizing

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