Ecofriendly Approaches for Controlling Mustard Aphid (Lipaphis erysimi Kalt.) Infestation

Abstract

Brassica oilseed crops are grown all over the world, but the aphids of cabbage, Brevicoryne brassicae L. and Turnip aphid Lipaphis erysimi Kalt, cause mischief to the crops everywhere in the world. A field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Farm Area of Airport Campus of Ghazi University Dera Ghazi Khan during mid-November 2019 to test eco-friendly management methods for mustard aphids. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications and five treatments in 2 m ×2.7 m size plots. Seeds of the Khanpur Raya variety were sown in mid-November 2019. The treatments included (i) Neem leaf extract, (ii) Dimethoate, (iii) Lemongrass oil, (iv) Mustard Cake, and (v) Control (untreated). The overall results of the experiment showed that after the second spray, the aphids became immune to synthetic pesticides. However, bio-pesticides had some control over the aphids, with Lemongrass oil producing the best results, achieving almost 80 percent control, followed by about 72 percent control with neem extract and almost 67 percent control with mustard cake. This suggests that Lemongrass oil can be used to control aphids on mustard plants and, since it is a bio-pesticide, it has many biological benefits. Therefore, it can be concluded that using botanical products for managing mustard aphids can be an effective and eco-friendly approach