EVALUATION OF SOME MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF CUCURBIT FRUIT FLY IN BITTER GOURD

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University flu-rn, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from March to June 2007 to evaluate some pest management practices for the suppression of cucurhit fruit fly in bitter gourd. There were seven treatments viz; Ti: Hand picking of inièsted fruits of bitter gourd at 7 days interval; T2: Neem seed kernel at S gm/I of water at 5 days interval 4-T1; 11;: Spray of shobieron 425EC ® 2ml/l of water at 7 days interval + T1; T4: Mieronutrient-Zn @ 6.72kg/ha; l's: Micronutrient-B @ 1.96kg/ha; Is: Mieronutrient Zn ± B and T7: IJntreatcd control. The lowest fruit infestation (15.91% and 13.78% respectively) by number and by weight was recorded from the treatment T2, while the highest (56.0 1% and 46.09% respectively) fruit inibstation by number and by weight was recorded from T7 untreated control. The lowest (4.22) number of flower per 0.25 m2 was recorded for the treatment T7 as untreated control condition, while the maximum (6.15) number of flower per 0.25 rn2 was recorded for T2 treated plots. The highest (85.00) number of fruits per plot was recorded for 12 treated plots while the lowest (61.00) number of fruits per plot was recorded from the untreated control i'7. The highest (7.73 kg) yield per plot was recorded from the treatment T2 and the lowest (6.01 kg) yield per plot was recorded for 17 treatment. The application of neem seed kernel at 5 days interval -F hand picking of infested fruit in T2 treated plots gave the highest yield (12.88 Uha) while it was lowest (10.02 tlha) in i'y untreated control plots. The combined application of micronutrients was more effective in T6 than the sole application of mieronutrients in 1*.4 and T5 respectively. The results of economic analysis of bitter gourd showed that the highest benefit cost ratio (9.44) was estimated for 16 treatment and the lowest (1.06) benefit cost ration forT3 treatment. Among the different treatment Neem seed kernel at 5 days interval 1- Hand picking of infested fruits in T2 treated plots was more effective than the insecticide Shobicron 425 EC at 7 days interval + Hand picking of infested fruits followed by the T6 treated plots in combination of micronutrients Zn +B.