Technical efficacy and practicability of mass trapping for insect control in Bangladesh (original) (raw)

Agronomy for Sustainable Development

Eggplant shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis, is a major pest in eggplant production in South and South-East Asia. Farmers frequently spray insecticides to control it. Integrated pest management (IPM) based on mass trapping or pheromone trapping and sanitation (removal of infested shoots and fruits) has been suggested but poorly adopted. This study tested, together with farmers, combinations of IPM components that fit their farming practices, increase income, and preserve natural enemy populations. A 2-year participatory study was negotiated with these farmers, comparing (i) an untreated control, (ii) farmers’ conventional weekly spraying, with pheromone trapping either (iii) alone, or combined with (iv) trap-based biorational spraying, or (v) bi-weekly conventional insecticide spraying. Farmers rejected testing sanitation as too labor-intensive. In both years, pheromone trapping alone or combined with biorational spraying reduced fruit infestation, increased yield and incom...