ARSHDEEP SINGH* AND ANITA JASWAL
Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144 411 (Punjab), India
*(e-mail : harrydeep628@gmail.com); Mobile : 8558086139
(Received : August 24, 2018; Accepted : October 19, 2018)
ABSTRACT
The leaf folder having scientific name Cnaphalocrosis medinalis is a major insect of rice crop. Rice is eatable crop in both northern and southern parts of India. To evaluate the consequences of nutrient management on the incidence of leaf folder insect-pest in transplanted basmati rice crop, a field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab during kharif season of 2015. The treatments comprising various fertilizers and these 15 treatments were evaluated under three replications in RBD. More use of nitrogen fertilizer (urea) increased the vegetative growth of the plant but the insect-pest numbers also increased. The potash and phosphorus fertilizers were neither promoting plant growth nor affecting insect-pests attack, whereas ZnSO4 was affected under all the different doses. It reduced plants susceptibility to pest and also allowed nitrogen mixing in soil pores. The crop with 47 kg/ha nitrogen application showed highest leaf folder damage per hill by increasing plant height and tillers/plant and thus reduced the economical yield. T9 treatment (N+P47+30 kg/ha) recorded the maximum grain and straw yield. The lowest grain and straw yield was observed in control.
Key words : Leaf folder, photosynthesis, economics, rice, fertilizers