Study of major insect pest in mushroom farming and effects of selected biological repellants on its survival.

Abstract

Many people consume mushrooms because of their nutritional and medicinal properties, in addition to their culinary appeal. Oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus is a good choice to begin the mushroom cultivation, because it is comparatively easier to grow compound many of the other species, and they can be grown on a small scale with a moderate initial investment. Insect pests are constant threat to the successful production of mushroom for commercial purposes, especially for small scale farmers. Present study investigates the most common insect pests in selected oyster mushroom cultivations and the effects of fumigants derived from locally available plant leaves on the mortality of identified pests. Present study indicates that fly pests (Megaselia sp.) are the most abundant pests on mushroom cultivars studied, Different larval stages with varying abundance cause a considerable damage to the mushroom cultivars. Fumigants derived from different plant leaves were tested as a control measure for the larvae. Our results indicate that plant species such as Lime (Citrus aurantifolia), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), Marigold (Tagetes patula), Temple tree (Plumeria obtuse), Castor bean (Ricinus communis), Paddy-straw (Oryza saliva), Paawatta (Pavatta indica), Cashew (Anacardium occidental), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Cyprus (Casuarina equisetifolia), Sandal wood (Santa/um album), Acasia (Acacia mangium) and Holy basil/”Maduruthala” (Ocimum sanctum) were effective (cause above 50% mortality, 3rd instar stage of Megaselia sp.) in controlling the pests in laboratory conditions. Further studies are required to evaluate the efficacy of above materials as pest controlling agents.