International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, Vol. 1 Issue 10, Oct 2016. www.ijasrm.com ISSN 2455-6378 Eco-diversity and Habitation Partiality of order Diptera and Coleoptera and Siphonaptera among okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) and cauliflower (Brassica oleraceaL.) fields Naureen Rana1, Somia Afzal2, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal3, Ushna Bashir Rana4 and Yusra Yasmin5 1,2,3,4,5 Department of Zoology, Wildlife & Fisheries, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan Abstract ≤ 0.001) and in cauliflower fields, population of both The present study was conducted to accord orders were also differ significantly (P ≤ 0.001). “ecological diversity of order Diptera, Coleoptera Keywords: Coleoptera, Diptera, Siphonaptera, okra and and Siphonaptera among okra (Abelmoschus cauliflower esculentus L.) and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) fields” during the session 2014-15. The collection was made for ten days intervals from these 1. Introduction vegetables fields with the help of sweep net, direct Vegetables are vital part of our everyday hand picking and with forceps over an area of nutrition and used as mess as well as finger food. 100m2during morning hours (08:00 am to 10:00 am). However, they contain different dietary contents e.g. Total eight (08) samplings were accomplished for protein, fat, vitamins (retinol, phylloquinone, okra and fourteen (14) for cauliflower fields. After pyridoxine, previtamin), minerals and sugar etc. completing the research trial, total 560 specimens They also hold natural oxidative compounds which were recorded from both fields pertaining to act against microbes e.g. bacteria, virus and fungi; aforementioned orders. Among them, least and they also act as carcino-preventive agent. Beside population was recorded from okra fields 182 this, they also provide fiber, vital for metabolic (32.5%) and higher population was from cauliflower activities for ideal fitness of the human body fields 378 (67.5%) pertaining to order Diptera and (Sharma and Rao, 2012). Coleoptera. While, both fields were devoid off in Topography of Pakistan is supporting for case of order Siphonaptera population. Relative agricultural activities and ecology of the region is abundance was recorded maximum in okra fields for favorable for cropping. According to previous order Diptera (65.93%) and lowest for order estimates of last ten years, 3,460000ha area is under Coleoptera (34.07%). However, in cauliflower fields, cultivation for overall 13.7 million tones edible crop maximum relative abundance was recorded again for cultivation (Akhtar et al., 2007), by providing order Coleoptera (69.05%) and minimum for order earning over Rs. 600.000 billion in country income Diptera (30.63%). In okra fields, diversity was (Government of Pakistan, 2004). recorded highest for the order Coleoptera (0.9596) Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is an and lowest for order Diptera (0.0682) and in important cash crop/ vegetable in Pakistan belongs to cauliflower fields, diversity was recorded also in family Malvaeceae (Iqbal et al., 2011). In England, it same context (2.2648 and 0.6731, respectively). is called ladyfinger, gumbo in southern USA, and According to Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, in okra fields bhindi in Pakistan (Uka et al., 2013). Its 1.7 million population of both orders was differ significantly (P ton cultivation has been accomplished annually on 8 International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, Vol. 1 Issue 10, Oct 2016. www.ijasrm.com ISSN 2455-6378 this planet and preferred comparative to other Order Coleoptera is an eminent order and vegetables as a garden-fresh pod; and it provides makes 1/3rd of all the identified insects and have 4550Kcal/kg (Babatunde et al., 2007; Schippers, more than three million known species over the 2000), rich in Ca, Mg, P, K, protein, vitamin (B3, world (Majumder et al., 2013; Chapman, 2013). vitamin B2, vitamin B1, retinol, ascorbic acid, Being a leading group of insects, they accorded as phylloquinone, pyridoxine) and micro-minerals like environment friendly by virtue of nuisance managing Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu (Baidoo et al., 2011). Moreover, agent (Mayer, 2009b). Mostly, they concentrate on its paste increases the quantity of red body fluid foliage fauna for nourishment because they are easy (Onunkun, 2012), seeds as oil foundation and food to access and fruit producing plant support such (Ahmed et al., 2004). activities (Chapman, 2013). They get access to their Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) is member targeted prey by simulating the smell (Mayer, 2009b). of family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) known as soft Fleas are the members of order vegetable and called cauliflower in England, chou- Siphonaptera having 2,000 known species on this fleur in French, couveflor in Poland. It originated in planet (Chapman, 2013). “Siphon” and “aptera” are Roman times and spread over Italy to European two parts of word Siphonaptera denoted as “tube” countries. Now over the world, it is being cultivated and “wingless” respectively (Meyer, 2009c) and only on 8.12 million acres, with production of 15.3 few are found in warm regions of earth because of million tons annually. China is at tope with 303,000 environmental conditions. They live according to ha cultivation (Dawn, 2007). Being highly nutritive proper host density and more than 90% are external diet and fruit, this vegetable encompass 88.4g water, parasites and get nourishment from the blood of 3.6g protein, 3.0g sugar, vitamins (pantothenic acid, animals and birds. Their metamorphic stages rely on nicotinic acid, pyridoxine, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, the waste and desiccated body fluid host burrow vitamin B9 and vitamin C) along with many essential (Anonymous, 2014). mineral e.g. Fe, Mg and P etc. but iron and zinc Keeping in view the findings of the found in trace quantity (Rizvi et al., 2009). It also previous studies, it is obvious that fauna and flora of provides bioflavonoids and flucosinolates after an area depend on each other for many aspect of catabolism and also provides glucoraphanin which their life. So, the present study was designed to act as carcinopreventive agent for humanity underline the eco-diversity of under reference insect (Grubenn and Denton, 2004) and it is also orders on okra and cauliflower vegetables with appropriate diet for diabetics (Abbas, 2013). respect to ecological aspects for managing IPM Member of phylum Arthropoda is comprise strategies among these vegetables crop fields in of 75% insects and they make 66% of 1.5 million future. known living organisms (Chapman, 2013). They can spent their lives under range of ecological circumstances e.g. peak, plus or negative temperature, 2. Materials and Methods humidity and desiccation etc. They show diversity in relation to environment and are prominent part of Study area: food web. Though! they may be unsocial, unreserved Present research was done to find the “Eco- and communal; while their limited life span, diversity and Habitation Partiality of order Diptera, extraordinary fertility and comfort of rising in test Coleoptera and Siphonaptera among okra center promote their use in biological exploration (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) and cauliflower (Gullan and Cranston, 2010). (Brassica oleracea L.) fields” under ecological Order Diptera is consists of flies conditions of Gojra (district Toba Tek Singh), representing 128 families with regard to 1,24,000 Punjab, Pakistan during the session 2014 - 2015. individuals over the world (Brown, 2001); and word Overall research trails for both vegetables was done diptera is originated from Greek word “di” denoted from “New 98 plot” located in the north of Gojra as “two” while “ptera” as “wings” so called as two city. The selected site is also called as “Ngaa-wala- wings or true flies with one purposeful annex (Mayer, muraba” owing to the reason that few years ago 2009a). They are helpful in agro-ecosystem as snakes were common at this place. pollinators and are essential for reconditioning of decay material (Chapman, 2013), but they also act as Collection and Identification: nuisance, spread dengue and some other infections. The fields of okra and cauliflower were Some of them are eminent as plant eater; though! sampled right from the pre-harvest stage to post- many are dependent on animals for nourishment as harvest stage and invading insects pertaining to their mouth is designed to puncture the cell and get selected orders were collected by selecting an area of liquid or sap (Mayer, 2009a). 100 m2 of each field by following methods: 9 International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, Vol. 1 Issue 10, Oct 2016. www.ijasrm.com ISSN 2455-6378 • Direct hand picking method 1990; Holloway et al., 1991; Triplehorn and • By using Sweep Net Johnson, 2005; Rafi et al., 2005) and available keys • By using Forceps on internet. Sampling Techniques 3. Results and Discussion: Sampling was done fortnightly from three different Presently, after completing the entire sugarcane cultivars selected collection of foliage research trial, total 560 specimens were recorded and insect fauna associated with them from an area of identified up to species level from these vegetable 100m2. Temperature and humidity were also being fields. Among them, pertaining to order Diptera and checked and noted carefully as per objective with the Coleoptera, 182 (32.5%) were recorded from Okra help of digital thermometer and hygrometer and 378 (67.5%) from Cauliflower fields. However, respectively. Sampling was done by using sweep none of the specimen was recorded for order net/forceps/direct hand picking technique: Siphonaptera from both vegetable fields as already endorsed by Chapman (2013), Meyer (2009c), Petrie Sweep Netting (2009), Gage (1998), Komar (2003). Wherein significant results were recorded in case of order Sweep nets were used to capture flying Coleoptera among these vegetable fields over the insects (order Diptera) present above the canopy entire study period (Fig. 1-2). Furthermore, diversity crop. For this purpose the sweep net was stroked and of any ecosystem depends upon the relative swing through the insect population rapidly to force abundance and density of inhabiting taxa in that the insect into the very bottom of net.