Period of effective catching of insect pests and natural enemies in light traps

Abstract

Light trap helps to protect natural enemies and manage destructive insect pests in rice farming ecosystem. Light trapping time at night is not identified, for organic farming in farmers level its essential to identified proper timing at night. The experimental light trap was set up at Sagordi rice farm, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Barishal, during T. Aman rice season in 2019-2020. The time of catching insects by light trap were divided in six different times in a night and defined as treatments (T1= 17.20 to 18.20, T2= 18.20 to 19.20, T3= 19.20 to 20.20, T4 =20.20 to 21.20, T5=21.20 to 22.20, T6= 22.20 to rest of night insects caught at light trap) in this study. Each treatment has had four replications. Yellow sticky trap used to catch and trapped insect and natural enemyRice insect pests and their natural enemies were counted and recorded manually. The caught of yellow stem borer increased and green leafhopper were decreased from treatment, T1 to treatment, T6. During dusk to first four hours, the percentage of caught was approximately 69.28% insect pests. Overall, the percentages of insect pests trapping were 89.65% and natural enemies were 10.35% during the experimental period. The ratio of destructive insect pests caught was highest compared to that of natural enemies in light trap of rice ecosystem.