Eco-friendly Management of Spider Mite, Tetranychus neocaledonicus in Okra

摘要

Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench is an important green vegetable crop in Bihar and is attacked by a number of insect pests (Dhamdhere et al., 1984). In the last few years, the spider mite (Tetranychus neocaledonicus Andre) has attained a major pest status on this crop in Bihar. The spider mite attack leads to loss of chlorophyll, defoliation, stunting of growth, reduction in size and quality of fruits and other plant deformities etc. affecting the production. Few phytophagous mites inject toxicsubstances in to their hosts, which cause increased localized growth and disruption of tissue (Jeppson et al., 1975). To avoid ill effects of chemical insecticides/acaricides, research is being focused to develop eco-friendly management strategies to combat spider mites. Thus, in the present study, combinations of bio pesticides and eco-friendly chemicals were field evaluated against the spider mite for sustainable production of okra.