Efficiency of Cultural Practices of Mulching and Nipping in the Management of Eggplant Infestation and Damage by Leucinodes orbonalis Gueéne (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cultural practices of mulching and nipping in the management of eggplant infestation and damage by Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Therefore, a field experiment using six eggplant varieties was carried out under tropical mean ambient temperature (30.4 oC) and relative humidity (73.3 %). The experimental site was Teaching and Research Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Each bed measured 2 m x 1.3 m and eggplant varieties were planted at a distance of 0.3 m x 0.4 m. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design, left to natural infestation and had three replications. The eggplants were mulched and nipped every two weeks in the study. The results revealed that all the test varieties were susceptible to attack by the insect pest under the two management techniques. Fruit weight of all varieties increased progressively (25.06 g) up to the third week after planting and declined thereafter (18.09 g) probably due to damaging effect of L. orbonalis. Mulching and nipping supported good fruit weight but were not highly effective in protecting eggplants against L. orbonalis infestation and damage. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in their individual ability to manage L. orbonalis attack irrespective of resistance status except at second-week after maturity in the number of exit holes/fruit and number of larvae/fruit (P < 0.001).