Abstract
In a series of open field experiments, we studied the effects of two lepidopteran pests (Plutella xylostella and Crocidolomia pavonana) at equal population density on cabbage yield. Completely randomised plots were assigned to four treatments, replicated four times. Treatments were P. xylostella only, C. pavonana only, or P. xylostella and C. pavonana at 1:1 ratio at different phenological stages of cabbages and a control (without any caterpillars). The growth stages and applied densities were pre-heading, cupping and heading, with densities of 2, 4 and 6 larvae/plant, compared with control. The effects of the two species differed significantly in terms of both yield (P < 0.0001) and injury score (P < 0.0001) compared to the control, which produced 67.4 ± 5.79 t/ha of clean, marketable cabbage. Crocidolomia pavonana reduced yield by 68% (21.8 ± 0.82 t/ha) with no market value at a cumulative injury score of 5, while P. xylostella reduced the yield by 40% (40.4 ± 2.38 t/ha at a cumulative injury score of 3.5). The sequential infestation of cabbage by P. xylostella and C. pavonana reduced yield by 41%, with 39.4 ± 3.48 t/ha of marketable yield at a cumulative injury score of 4.4. Thus, C. pavonana is more damaging than P. xylostella under the same growing conditions. Hence, zero infestation is recommended during the seedling and transplanting stages of the cabbages. The findings can serve as a basis to establish an economic threshold for C. pavonana and modify a two-decade-old economic threshold for P. xylostella in Tanzania.
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Acknowledgement
Dr. Jacquline Mkindi (Executive Director of the Tanzania Horticultural Association), Dr. Thomas Dubois [former Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Region, World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg)], and Dr. Gabriel Rugalema (Regional Director, WorldVeg ESA) and their team are acknowledged for both material and moral support.
Funding
The research was supported from the long-term strategic donors to the World Vegetable Center: Republic of China (Taiwan), UK aid from the UK government, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Germany, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, and Japan.
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Aaron Y. Mbogho: Developed the main conceptual ideas, carried out the experiments, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Robert Mwashimaha, Omary Mbwambo, and Simon B. Boni: Provided the research support and contributed for revising the manuscript; Jacob Yarro, and Bruno Nyundo: Research supervision, and contributed for revising the manuscript; Myron P. Zalucki: Critically reviewed the results as well as the manuscript, and revised the manuscript; Ramasamy Srinivasan: Developed the main conceptual ideas and the project, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript.
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Mbogho, A.Y., Mwashimaha, R., Mbwambo, O. et al. Comparative effects of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and Crocidolomia pavonana (F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on cabbage yield in Tanzania. Int J Trop Insect Sci 41, 2733–2738 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-021-00452-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-021-00452-4