Search for safer options to manage cabbage pests

Some safer pest management modules were evaluated against the important pests of cabbage. Various components like seed treatment with Trichoderma viride Pers. ex Fr., raising seedling under nylon net cover, trap (mustard) and repellent (coriander) cropping, physical barrier (live maize border, floating row cover with nylon net or shredded banana sheath fibre), leaf extracts of Calotropis sp., neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) and nishinda (Vitex negundo L.), lemon extract, cow urine and raw butter milk were used to devise pest management modules. Results indicated that modules effectively suppressed the growth and development of the pest populations recording lower mean numbers: aphid (5.74 – 12.92/plant), Spodoptera sp. (0.11 – 0.77 larva/plant) and diamond back moth (DBM) (0.00 – 1.12 larvae/plant), kept the damages at low levels (2.66 – 13.33% infestation by Spodoptera, 0.00 – 12.00% infestation by DBM) and registered good yields (22140 – 21231 kg/ha) and offered comfortable benefit-cost ratio. The treatment modules were also found quite safe to the natural enemies namely, coccinellids, spiders, syrphids and chrysopids found in the cabbage ecosystem.