Varietal reaction of carnation to bud borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner) and influence of associated plant characters on infestation

An experiment was conducted to study the reaction of twenty one varieties of standard type carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) to bud borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner) and the influence of varietal characters on the infestation of the pest. The bud borer infestation varied significantly amongst different carnation varieties during peak incidence period of the pest for both the seasons. The mean bud borer infestation ranged from 8.18% in the variety Dover to 17.61% in the variety Charment. The varieties viz., Dover, Lavender Lace, Tikar and Madras were found to be the least susceptible varieties showing less than 10% bud infestation. There was significant difference in various vegetative and floral parameters among different varieties of carnation. The bud borer infestation was found to be significantly and positively correlated with the plant height, number of branches per plant and number of flowers per plant. A negative correlation was found between bud borer infestation and thickness of calyx.