Management of insect pests of selected vegetables with emphasis on the use of biological control agents and other non-pesticide methods

Based on the verification trials in stringbeans, the following pest management and fertilization recommendations gave yield and net profit higher than the Farmers' Practice: release of earwigs at two and three weeks after planting at the rate of 20,000 individuals/ha/release + spraying of OHN [Oriental herbal nutrient] makabuhai extract at low pest population density, and need-based spraying of methomyl (high pet population) against insect pests, and application of one half the recommendation for inorganic fertilizer, application of VAMRi [biopesticide] and SNAP hydroponics. Earwig is being continously mass produced at the Crop Protection Cluster at UPLB and also by the Regional Crop Protection Centers; OHN is primarily a ginger extract, which if not available, could be replaced by other effective botanical insecticides. SNAP hydroponics is produced by Dr. Primitivo Santos of Crop Science Cluster, UPLB, which if it is not available, it could be replaced by most of the commonly used foliar fertilizers. On the other hand, VAMRi is always available at BIOTECH, UPLB. In okra [Hibiscus esculentus] based on the yield obtained from four trials, the Farmers' Practice of controlling insect pest T3 still provided significantly higher yield among treatments which was significantly different from the other treatments, T1 and T2. The significant yield increase in T3 could not be attributed to insect pest management control because insect pest population during the conduct of the study especially in Trial 3 was quite low. However, in Trial 4 which is based from 26 primmings, the total yield of okra plants released with higher population of earwigs alone (T1) and combination of earwigs + spraying of makabuhai extracts were not significantly different from the weekly spraying of methomyl and provide significantly higher yield than the control. On the other hand, in pechay [Brassica rapa L.] results of Trial 3 indicates that significantly higher yield was obtained in the Farmers' Practice (T3) in both Experiments 1 and 2 followed by T1 and lowest in the untreated plants. Results suggest that cabbage worm could not be controlled by the release of earwigs alone and/or with the spraying of makabuhai extract. The higher marketable yield obtained in T1 as compared with T2 could be attributed to single supplemental spraying of microbial insecticide, B. thuringiensis that prevented the increase in the population of cabbage worm. The highest net income was obtained in T3 (Trial 3: Expts 1 and 2) followed by T1. The higher net income obtained in all treatments including the control (T2) could be attributed to the high price of pechay at that time which was Php 18.00/ kilo.