MANAGEMENT OF WHITEFLY,BEMISIA TABACIGENN.IN TOMATOBY INTERCROPPING

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in the experimental field of Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University tofind out the effect of intercropping on the management of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.) in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Lin.) during November 2010 to April 2011. The crop combinations were tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Lin.) + garlic (Allium sativum), tomato + radhuni (Trachyspermum roxburghianum), tomato + mouri (Foeniculum vulgare), tomato + methi (Trigonella foenium-graecum), tomato + radish (Raphanus sativum), tomato + coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and Sole tomato (control). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Significantly, the lowest number of infested plant/plot (5m2) (0.00, 0.67 and 1.67 at 40, 80 and 115 DAT respectively), lowest number of leaf curl infested plant/plot (0.67), lowest number of white fly/plant (2.67, 4.50 and 5.33 at 40, 80 and 115 DAT respectively), highest number of healthy plant/plot (5m2) (12.00, 11.33 and 10.33 at 40, 80 and 115 DAT, respectively), highest number of total natural enemy/plant (3.33), highest healthy tomato yield (16.00 t/ha), lowest infested tomato yield (1.00 t/ha), highest total tomato yield (17.00 t/ha), highest relative yield (1.80 t/ha), highest tomato equivalent yield (17.69 t/ha) and highest gross return (Tk. 621600.00/ha) were recorded in tomato + garlic intercropping system. But in case of total number of other insect pest/plant the lowest (1.33) was achieved from Tomato + radhuni intercropping system. In terms of percent (%) reduction or increase over control, the highest reduction on number of infested plant/plot (5m2) (100%, 83.25% and 74.96% at 40, 80 and 115 DAT respectively), number of white fly/plant (77.75%, 72.73% and 74.21% at 40, 80 and 115 DAT respectively), number of leaf curl infested plant/plot (81.74%), highest percent (%) increase of healthy plant/plot (5m2) (28.62%, 41.63% and 93.81% at 40, 80 and 115 DAT respectively) and total number of natural enemy/plant (226.47%) over control were recorded in tomato + garlic intercropping system. As a result the treatment combination of tomato + garlic was the best treatment followed by tomato + methi, tomato + radhuni, tomato + mouri, tomato + radish and tomato +coriander where sole treatment (control) gave the lowest performance in turns of gross return.