Studies on the pest incidence and varietal reaction of spray type carnation under mid-hill conditions of Kalimpong, West Bengal

The experiment was conducted to study the pests infesting spray type carnation and to assess the reaction of ten different germplasms against important pests. Eight different pests were found to invade the crop during various growth stages. Amongst those pests, the bud borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hub.) and the two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch. were found as major pests inflicting serious damage to the crop particularly during hot summer months of April-May coinciding with the flowering stage. The germplasms tested exhibited significant variation in their reaction to different pests of carnation. The germplasms namely Acc. No. 19, Danubio, Atletic Schubert and Lolita were found least susceptible to green peach aphid, Myzus Persicae Sulz. (<3 aphids/apical twig). More number of mites was observed on buds/flowers as compared to the leaves. The germplasms Acc. No. 19 and Atletic Schubert were found as least susceptible to red spider mite infestation. The germplasms viz. Acc. No. 19, Acc. No. 15 and Atletic Schubert were found to be least susceptible to bud borer infestation. The germplasms Acc. No. 19 and Atletic Schubert can be commercially cultivated in this region due to multiple tolerance to all the pests.