BIOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGJCAL STUDIES ON THE MAIN PESTS INFESTING CUCURBITS

Abstract

The most important problem facing the Egyptian growers of cucurbit plants is the presence of certain insect pest attacking these crops. The present work aimed at studying the insect pests found on the different species of cucurbit plants. In field experiment, five cucurbit plants; watermelon (Gizal) Citmllus /anatus , sweetmelon Cucumis melo var. Aegyptiacus, cantaloupe (Cantaloupe Ananas Hyb. Fl) Cucumis melo var. Reticulatus. cucumber (Sweet crunch) Cucumis satims L.,and squash (Alexandria) Cucurbita pepo L. were cultivated to survey insect pests infesting them during two successive summer plantations; of 1996 and 1997 in Kena, Upper Egypt.

The key pests in the experimental fields were found to be the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.), the melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, the melon ladybird, Epilachna chrysomelina F., the red pumpkin beetle, Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas, the•cotton leafworm, Spodoptera lilloralis, and the leafhopper Empoasca discipens (Paoli). The role of some formulated botanical compounds (Neem Azal-T/S, Neudosan and Spruzit flussig) against the melon aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover), the buckthorn aphid, Aphis naslllrtii Kaltenbach, the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) and the melon lady bird, Epilachna chrysomelina F., had been evaluated. The role of predator Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani) in controlling the melon aphid, A. gossypii (Glover) in greenhouse in Gennany had been also evaluated. The obtained results could be summarized as followes: