Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, 560 080
Tomato fruit borer (Heliothis armigera) is a serious pest on the widely cultivated tomato variety Pusa Ruby. The optimum size and shape of plots for conducting experiments of percentage infestation of the above pest was 3.6 × 1.8 m3 (18 plants) and the same plot size holds good for yield also. Rectangular plots were more efficient over square plots. The plot size was less, contrary to the general belief that insecticidal trials need larger plots because the percentage infestation of Tomato Fruit borer has not followed a negative binomial distribution unlike other pests which follow contagion distributions.
