HOST PREFERENCE AND INFESTATION INTENSITY OF VEGETABLE LEAF MINER, Liriomyza spp.

Abstract

Vegetable leaf miner, Liriomyza spp. is one of the major pests of various vegetables which larva mines the leaves causing serious damage to different vegetable host plants. Field survey was conducted to know the host preference, infestation intensity of vegetable leaf miner at the field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka during the period from December 2016 to April 2017. Leaf miner infestation was observed on cucumber, country bean, bush bean, tomato, mustard, bottle gourd, sweet gourd, tomatillo, pea, tita begun. No infestation was found in brinjal, potato, red amaranth and amaranth. Highest percent of plant infestation was found in mustard (40%) followed by sweet gourd (33.31%), cucumber (25.0 %), country bean (25.0 %), bush bean (25.0 %), tomato (25.0 %), bottle gourd (25.0 %), tomatillo (25.0%), tita begun (25%) and pea (20.0 %). 100% of leaf infestation was recorded in cucumber, country bean ,bush bean, bottle gourd, mustard and sweet gourd followed by tita begun (70%), pea (40%), tomatillo (45%) and tomato (30%). Highest number of leaf miner larvae was found in cucumber (17 larva/leaf) followed bush bean (11.12 larva/leaf), country bean (10.66 larva leaf), bottle gourd (5 larva/leaf), sweet gourd (5 larva/leaf), tita begun (5 larva/leaf), tomatillo (4.25 larva/leaf), tomato (4.11 larva/leaf), mustard (4 larva/leaf) and pea (3 larva/leaf). Positive relationship was observed between leaf miner infestation and environmental temperature for all crops.