Incidence of certain arthropod pests and predators inhabiting cowpea, with special reference to the varietal resistance of selected cultivars to bemisia tabaci (GEN.)‎ and tetranychus urticae koch.

Abstract EN

Incidence and faunistic composition of arthropod pests and their associated predators in cowpea plantations have been determined during 2000 and 2001 growing seasons in Assiut Governorate.

Fifteen phytophagous species and five arthropod predators in addition to unidentified true spiders were recorded by using sweep net method.

Results indicated that the dominance percentages of arthropod pests was higher than those of predators.

The most dominant pest species were the piercing sucking pests Empoasca spp.; Nezara viridula, Creontiades pallidus and the lycaenid Lambides boeticus.

However, the most dominant predators were Coccinella undecimpunctata; Orius spp.

and Scymnus interruptus.

Also results, exhibited distinct compatability between the abundance of the above mentioned pests and their associated predators.

These results must be use to enable these biological control agents in suppressing cowpea pests and regulate their numbers.

Regarding to the relative susceptibility of the tested cowpea cultivars to the whitefly Bemisia tabaci and the two spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae the cowpea cultivar Kaha 1 only showed some sort of resistance against the two pests.

It appeared as low resistant (LR) and moderately resistant (MR) cultivar against these two pests, respectively.

Leaf morphological characters and/or sap nutrients of this cultivar may be the main factors responsible for the existence of these resistance degrees.

Therefore, plant breeders must be study characters of this cultivar in more details and transfere the desirable one’s into the other new produced cowpea cultivars.