Influence of nutrients on incidence of pests of Solanum melongena Linn.

The influence of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients on incidence of Leucinodes orbonalis and Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata of eggplant revealed that, neem cake 50% (@125 kg/ha) + Recommended Dose of Fertilizer (RDF) 50% (NPK @ 50-30-30 kg/ha), vermicompost 50% (@1500 kg/ha) + RDF 50% (NPK @ 50-30-30 kg/ha) and FYM 50% (@10000 kg/ha)+ RDF 50% (NPK @ 50-30-30 kg/ha) recorded 18.0, 19.7, 21.3 and 24.8,25.1 and 25.5% shoot and fruit borer infestation, respectively over the inorganic sources of nutrients as straight fertilizers. However, highest marketable yield (13525.0 kg/ha) was obtained in vermicompost 50%+NPK 50% followed by neem cake 50%+NPK 50% (13,333.3 kg/ha) treatment. The neem cake 50%+ NPK 50% and vermicompost 50%+ NPK 50% were superior to rest of the treatments in decreasing the spotted leaf beetle incidence to 18.0 and 19.7/plant as against the 33.4 of control.