EFFECT OF POTASSIUM FERTILIZER ON THE POPULATION OF CERTAIN SUCKING INSECTS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED PREDATORS IN COTTON FIELDS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Plant Protect. Res. Inst. A. R. C., Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Cotton plant is liable to be attacked all over irs growing season by certain
sucking insects, such as cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii Colo ••• ,), cotton [assid
(Empoasca Iyp < /em>ica de Berg), cotton whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.) and cotton thrips
(Thrips tebec! L,). The effect of soil and loliar applications with different rates of
potassium sultate fertilizer (48 % K20) was studied on the infestation of the previous
insects and their associated predators, Lady-bird beelles (Coccinella S~? And
Scymnus spp.), Aphid lion (Chrysoperla camea), Anlhocoride bua (Orius spp.) Rove
beetles (Paederus alfiem'l) and true spiders whiCh attacked Giza 89 cotton variety
cultivated during 2002 and 2003 seasons at Sakha Agricullural Research Station, Kafr
EI-Sheikh, Governorate Egypt. The results showed that insignificant differences were observed between treated and untreated plants, by potassium fertilizer in case of soil application with 50 and 25 kg/fed. of fertilizer, and slight effect was observed in reducing the population of sucking insects. On the other hand. significant differences were observed between two foliar applications with 8.165 kg/fed, and 16.33 kg/fed. of potassium fertilizer and untreated plants. Generally, potassium fertiliz.er reduced the population of B. tabaci
than other insects. The effect of potassium fertilizer on the population of studied
predators in the two seasons, showed that the three soil treatments had a slight effect
on these predators, while the two ·foliar treatments affected the abundant of predators
significantly than the untreated one where they reduced the mean numbers of
predators than untrerated.
Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology
Volume 30, Issue 9
September 2005
Pages 5607-5615

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