Pest status on fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) under organic production system in semi-arid region of Rajasthan, India

In view of the field experiments conducted at ICAR-National Research Centre on Seed Spices, Ajmer on insect-pests scenario of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) in Rabi season crop under organic production system in semi-arid conditions stated that fennel crop received an infestation of thirteen pest species from different order and family. Thrips (Thrips tabaci, T. flavus and Scirtothrips dorsalis), aphids (Aphis gossypii and Hyadaphis coriandri), jassids (Empoasca kerri), chalcid wasp (Systole albipennis), seed bug (Nysius sp.), tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura) and grasshopper (Acrida spp.) were recorded as fennel pest of major importance. The insects like whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), lygus bug (Lygus sp.), stink bug (Nezara viridula), red cotton bug (Dysdercus koenighii), cutworm (Agrotis spp.) and leaf eating caterpillar (Heliothis armigera) were recorded as minor pests of fennel in semi-arid region under organic production system. The infestation of thrips, jassids, whitefly, cutworm and grasshopper was started at early growth stage where aphid infestation was observed throughout cropping period at different level of damage with maximum population 70.7 aphids/plant or umbel followed by thrips (4.82/plant) and chalcid wasp (4.07/umbel), whereas remaining pests populations were observed in scanty population.