Integrated pest management (ipm)techniques for Moringa oleifera
Open Access
- Author:
- Diehl, Jennie Rebecca
- Area of Honors:
- Horticulture
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Ricky M Bates, Thesis Supervisor
Kathleen Marie Kelley, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Moringa
IPM
integrated pest management
horticulture - Abstract:
- Moringa has been grown traditionally for ornamental purposes but more recently has been brought into cultivation. As this is occurring, more horticultural research must be done to improve its productivity in terms of integrated pest management. There is little information available on control of Moringa pests. Research presented in this thesis explores environmentally sound techniques of controlling pest problems that impact Moringa. Moringa oleifera and Moringa peregrina were grown in preliminary greenhouse trials to determine growth characteristics and possible pest resistance of different ecotypes. Measurements of height, number of flowers, pest incidence, and pest severity were recorded. This preliminary trial showed substantial differences in growth parameters between ecotypes. This study also evaluated the effects of kaolin clay in managing pest problems on Moringa. In this study, M. oleifera seedlings were grown in a greenhouse free of insects and later treated with kaolin clay treatments at recommended, half, and 2X rates, along with a water control treatment for comparison. Eight replicates were conducted for each treatment in this single study. Nine week old M. oleifera seedlings were introduced into a greenhouse with an established pest population. The plant height, pest incidence, and pest severity were recorded for these treatments. No kaolin treatments were significantly different from control, but there appeared to be increased insecticidal response to the half rate compared to label rate for spider mite incidence. Two applications of kaolin treatments were applied since the kaolin product did not adhere well to the M. oleifera leaf surface. The lack of adhesion was most likely the main reason why kaolin did not serve as an efficient tool in integrated pest management. In this study, kaolin clay was not effective at controlling pests on M. oleifera. Better understanding of the leaf surface of Moringa is a key area of research for future studies.