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Hettiarachchi HASN1* and Hemachandra KS2
1Agriculture Research Station, Seetha-Eliya, Nuwara-Eliya, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Abstract
Central highland is one of the major Cabbage (Brassica oleraca) producing regions in Sri Lanka.
Diamondback Moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella) is one of the key pests of cabbage that causes a significant yield loss.
Farmers heavily use agro-chemicals to control DBM while ignoring alternative non-chemical eco-friendly pest management
strategies. Therefore, attempts were made to evaluate the combined effectiveness of three physical pest management
strategies to suppress the DBM population in cabbage. Field experiments were carried out at the Agriculture Research Station,
Seetha-Eliya during the 2020 and 2021 Yala cropping seasons. A blinking light, sprinkler irrigation and insect-proof
net were selected as physical DBM control measures. The combined effects of these strategies were evaluated in comparison
with recommended insecticides. The result revealed that the combined effect of blinking lights, sprinkler irrigation and
insect-proof net significantly reduced DBM larval infestation and damage severity of cabbage with effective yield performance.
Blinking lights and insect-proof nets were found to be alternative strategies to manage DMB larval infestation.
Routine application of insecticides for DBM control in cabbage could successfully be replaced with these physical barriers.
It was concluded that a package for DBM management in cabbage comprising of these measures could be introduced for cabbage farmers
in the up-country region in Sri Lanka.
Keywords:
blinking light, Cabbage, Diamondback moth, insect-proof net, sprinkler irrigation
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