© 2019 JETIR January 2019, Volume 6, Issue 1 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) ORGANICALLY -PESTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN RHIZOMATOUS SPICE CROPS UTTAM TRIPURA

1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Horticulture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Phagwara

INTRODUCTION

Organic agriculture as defined by the Codex Elementaries Commission is a comprehensive production management system that promotes and enhances the health of agro-ecosystems, including biological production, life cycle and soil biological activities. It emphasizes the use of management techniques in prioritizing the use of off-farm inputs, stating that regional adaptations require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using cultural, biological and mechanical methods wherever possible, without using synthetic materials, to perform any specific task in the system. Pest management in organic farming is a major component of organic farming.

General principles of Organic pest management

Pest infection is a major cause of low productivity of spice crops especially in and in . These rhizomatous crops are infected by many species of , including shoot bore and root grubs, which can cause serious crop damage, especially in the northeast. The rhizome scale also causes the serious damage to ginger and turmeric. Organically pest management includes cultivating resistant cultivars, biological control, cultural control and utilization of organic pesticides. Resistant crop cultivation is commonly used in conjunction with other control strategies to reduce pest damage. The main advantage of pest-resistant crops is its compatibility with other direct control strategies. Pest-resistant agriculture also coordinates the effects of natural, biological and cultural pest-suppression strategies. Biological control is the control of insect populations by natural enemies, which keeps the ecosystem in a state of equilibrium. Natural enemies (predators, parasites and pathogens) are protected, multiplied by artificial means and propagated in the specific area to reduce the population of pests. The adoption of agricultural practices in this way reduces the population of pests on the farm, which is called cultural control. These techniques are usually adopted to influence the life cycle of an insect or host alteration. This type of control is usually more economical in the home space where labor costs are lower. Cultural control includes changes in crop rotation, crop sanitation, earthing-up, trap crops, field farming, deep ploughing and modification of sowing time and harvesting. Many pesticides that are approved for use in organic farming are called green pesticides in the form of neem

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© 2019 JETIR January 2019, Volume 6, Issue 1 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) formulations, soap solutions and plant extracts. In general, organic pesticides are safer and more environmentally friendly than the synthetic pesticides.

Insect pests of ginger and turmeric

Infection with pest is a major cause of low productivity of importance spice crops viz., ginger and turmeric in India. They are infected by many species of insects, including shoot bore and root grubs, which can cause serious crop damage, especially in the northeast. The rhizome scale causes serious damage to ginger and turmeric rhizomes during storage. Other insect pests that are sometimes cause severe damage to these crops are leaf rollers and leaf beetles. Ginger and turmeric are high value crops and their products are most demanded into globe. Pesticide residues are the major significant for non-tariff barriers to deal in these products; therefore, it is more relevant to adopt organic pest management strategies in these crops. Reflecting the growing concern over pesticide abuse over the past decade, there has been an increased interest in developing eco-friendly organic crop management programs in sustainable agriculture, including crops such as ginger and turmeric. The nature and symptoms of the damage, brief descriptions of adult and adolescents, and tactics adopted for biological management of ginger and turmeric pests are discussed under here.

Shoot borer

Shoot borer (Conogethus punctiferralis) (Pyralidae: ) is the most severe insect pest of ginger and turmeric. The larvae enter the shoot and feed on the internal tissues resulting in yellowing leaves and dried up infected shoots. The borehole in the shoot causes the frass extrude and is a symptom of a deadheart from central shoot noticed. Adult mid-sized mote, wingspan about 20 mm; The wings and body are orange-yellow with minute black spots. The eggs are laid on top and the newly planted larvae are fed on the reserved leaf and then come into the shoot. Fully developed larvae are light brown with short hair and 15 to 25 mm in length. . Pupation take place within the larval tunnel in the shoot. When the new shoots are produced, the insect appears in the field throughout the crop period. Shoot borer has been documented in over 30 host plants including many polyphagous and many economically important plants in India.

Management

Ginger beds with neem leaves are recommended for pest management on ginger in an integrated program such as spraying 10 tonnes per hectare and NSKE @5% spraying. Freshly infected insect infestation and destruction during the first two months of the crop stand (indicated by the extrusion of frass) and spraying of neem oil 0.5% over the rest of the crop stand is also effective in controlling pests on ginger. Light spraying of 0.5% neem oil at fortnight during crop period is also effective to maintaining less pest infestation in turmeric. Various predators and parasites have been recorded on pests in this field, including the entomophagous nematode Hexamermis sp. and Hymenopteran parasitoid Apanthelus sp. are major natural enemies. The protection of natural enemies also plays an important role in reducing the population of pests in this field.

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© 2019 JETIR January 2019, Volume 6, Issue 1 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) Root grubs

Root grub (Holotrichia spp.) (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) causes severe damage to ginger plants, especially in Sikkim and other northeastern regions. Eggs are laid in the soil near the rhizome and the grubs feed on roots and newly formed rhizomes. Pest infection leads to yellowing of leaves and stunting of plants, and in serious infections the pseudo-stem cutoff at basal area. The entire crop is lost to seriously infected plantations. Another type is H. seticollis usually occurs in Sikkim. Adults are dark brown beetles, size 2.5 x 1.5 cm. Adults eat on the leaves of Ficus sp. which is mainly appear in near to ginger plantation. The larva has a creamy white and brown head. Pupation occurs in the soil in an earthen cell. With the onset of summer rains in April and May, a large number of adults migrate.

Management

It is effective for the maintenance of root grubs due to mechanical accumulation in the soil and the destruction of adults in the peak period. The use of fine cowdung along with the Entomophagus fungus such as Metarrhizium anisopliae is effective to control the grubs population. The adoption of agricultural practices in this way reduces the population of pests on the farm, which is called cultural control. These techniques are usually adopted to influence the life history of an insect or host alteration. This type of control is usually more economical in the home space where labor costs are lower. Cultural control includes changes in crop rotation, crop sanitation, earthing-up, trap crops, field farming, deep ploughing and manipulation of sowing time and harvesting. Many pesticides that are approved for use in organic farming are called green pesticides in the form of neem formulations, soap solutions and plant extracts. In general, organic pesticides are safer and more environmentally friendly than the synthetic pesticides.

Rhizome scale (Aspidiella hartii Sign.)

The rhizome scale (Aspidiella hartii) (Coccidae: Hemiptera) infests rhizomes of ginger and turmeric in the field (especially at later stages) and storage. The pest feeds on plant sap and when the rhizomes are severely infested, they become shriveled and desiccated and fail to germinate. Adult (female) scales are minute (about 1 mm in diameter), circular and light brown to grey and appear as encrustations on the rhizomes. Scale insects reproduce parthenogenetically leading to heavy infestations within a short period. The rhizome scale also infests yams, taro and tannia.

Management

Timely harvest of rhizomes is important for preventing carry-over of the pest infestation from the field to storage. Severely infested rhizomes are to be discarded and the healthy rhizomes stored in dried leaves of Strychnos nux-vomica (or Glycosmis pentaphylla) + sawdust in 1:1 proportion in a cool dry place. The rhizomes are to be checked at regular intervals and scale infested rhizomes are to be removed and discarded.

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© 2019 JETIR January 2019, Volume 6, Issue 1 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) Three species of hymenopterous parasitoids have been recorded on the pest among which Physcus comperei is a major natural enemy.

Leaf roller ( folus Cram.)

The larvae of the leaf roller () (Hesperidae: Lepidoptera) cut and fold the leaves of ginger and turmeric, remain within and feed on them. The pest is generally observed in the field during the monsoon season. The adults are medium-sized with brownish black wings with white spots on the fore wings and a large patch on the hind wing. Fully grown larvae are dark green with a conspicuous head and measure about 40 mm in length. Pupation occurs within the leaf fold. The pest also breeds on a few other Zingiberaceous plants seen around ginger and turmeric gardens.

Management

The leaf roller can be controlled by regular handpicking and destruction of larvae. A few hymenopterous parasitoids that have been recorded on the leaf roller and other general predators and parasitoids observed in the field are to be conserved for reducing the population of the pest.

Leaf beetles (Lema spp.)

Adults and larvae of leaf feeding beetles belonging to Lema spp. (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera) feed on turmeric leaves especially during the monsoon season and form elongated parallel feeding marks on the leaves. The adults are small beetles measuring about 6.0 x 2.5 mm in size; the larvae are stout with a humped posterior and greyish brown and carry faecal matter over their dorsal body surface. Pupation occurs in the soil. Lema spp. also feed on cucurbits and solanaceous crops such as brinjal in the field.

Management

The leaf beetles can be controlled by mechanical collection of adults and regular handpicking and destruction of larvae. The general predators and parasitoids observed in the field are to be conserved for reducing the population of the pest.

REFERENCES

Devasahayam, S. & Koya, K.M.A. (2004). Insect pests of ginger. In: Ravindran, P. N., Babu, K. N. (Eds.) Ginger. The genus . CRC Press, Boca Raton, 367-389.

Devasahayam, S. & Koya, K.M.A. (2007). Insect pests of turmeric. In: Ravindran P. N., Babu K. N., & Sivaraman, K. (Eds.) Turmeric. The Genus . CRC Press, Boca Raton, 169-192.

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© 2019 JETIR January 2019, Volume 6, Issue 1 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) Devasahayam, S. (2008). Biological control of insect pests. In: Parthasarathy VA, Kandiannan K, Srinivasan, V. (Eds.). Organic Spices. New India Publishing Agency, New Delhi, 133-152.

Nybe, E. V., Mini Raj, N. & Peter, K. V. (2007). Spices. Horticulture Science Series vol. 5. In: K.V. Peter (Eds.), New India Publishing Agency, New Delhi, 88-89.

Spice board. (2009). Spiceboard. Retrieved from http://www.indianspices.com

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