BIOEFFICACY OF DIFFERENT PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST CUCURBIT FRUIT FLY ZEUGODACUS CUCURBITAE (COQUILLETT) IN SUMMER SQUASH, PARBAT, NEPAL
ABSTRACT
Summer squash is a popular vegetable in Nepal and is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas. The research is entitled as “Bioefficacy of different plant extracts against cucurbit fruit fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) in summer squash in Parbat, Nepal”. Heavy infestation of fruit flies in summer squash is the prominent problem leading to lower production. The experiment was carried out with the motive to decrease the infestation of fruit flies as well as increase the production and productivity of summer squash via the application of different plant extracts. The experiment was conducted from February 27, 2023 – June 1, 2023 in Kushma municipality of Nepal in Single Factorial RCBD design with four replication and five treatments combination viz. Treatment1: Neem+ Parthenium+ Malabar nut, Treatment2: Parthenium+ Malabar nut, Treatment3: Malabar nut + Neem, Treatment4: Neem+ Parthenium and Treatment5: Control. Data entry was done by using MS Excel and ANOVA was done using the latest version of R-Studio and the mean comparison was done using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at a 5 % level of significance. Results showed that Neem+ Parthenium+ Malabar nut treated plot gave the highest yield i.e. 15.96t/ha. The highest rate of fruit fly reduction was seen with Neem+ Parthenium+ Malabar nut leaf extract, with a decrease rate of 89.66% on final 6 days after spraying. The Neem+ Parthenium+ Malabar nut treated plot had the lowest floral loss percentage and fruit damage percentage at 29.85% and 18.38%, respectively. Results suggest that extract mixture of Neem+ Parthenium+ Malabar nut found most efficient eco-friendly management practice.