Quality and Quantity Loss by Aphid Infestation in Vegetables Grown under Protected Cultivation in Ladakh Region

During the hardly six months of suitable climatic window in summer season, many vegetable crops such as cabbage, cauliflower and radish are grown extensively in Ladakh region of India. These crops contribute significantly to the requirement of military and paramilitary troops in addition to the civil population inhabiting the region. In addition to growing these vegetable crops outdoor, some of these are grown under protective cultivation to get early and more produce, however various insect pests including aphids cause serious damage to the crops annually. The present study was undertaken to estimate the quality as well as quantity loss due to aphids infestation in three economically important crops namely cauliflower (B. oleracea var. botrytis), knol – khol (B. caulorapa) and radish (R. sativus) in the Indus valley of Ladakh region (J&K), in 2015. Results showed that there was 7.5 % to 27.5 % reduction in chlorophyll contents in the study crops while the overall yield in infested crops ranged from 35.4 in B. caulorapa to 41.9 % in B. oleracea var. botrytis respectively. Total chlorophyll contents were decreased statistically in radish (p = 0.0002; χ2 ≥ 17.0), whereas the overall yield loss was statistically similar among all the three vegetable crops (p = 0.6). Current study is first to analyze this kind of loss in important vegetable crops in Ladakh region of India and could be used as baseline study for planning anti-aphid strategy to protect vegetable crops in Ladakh region of India.