Catalogue of Insect Bio-Diversity in High Density Guava after Trash Mulching

Trash mulching in crops increases yield and conserve the insect biodiversity. An experiment on mulching with leaf litters was conducted in high density guava with an idea of conserving. The results showed more insect diversity in mulched than non-mulched trees. The insect species catalogued in the study were 9 herbivores and 24 natural enemies. A total of 33 insect species were thus catalogued. A new white grub species was first time documented in HDP guava from Tamil Nadu. The Shannon Index of the insect herbivores were 1.21 and 1.24 in mulched and non-mulched plot, respectively. The Simpson index of the insect herbivores was 0.64 and 0.65 in mulched and non-mulched plots, respectively. Higher species diversity of the insect predators was achieved with the shannon Index (0.23) and Simpson’s Index (0.04) in mulched trees. A total of 12 number of Trichogramma sp, wer also recorded. From the mealybug Paracoccus marginatus, parasitoids such as Acerophagus papayae, Pseudleptomastix mexicana , Prochiloneurus pulchellus and Allotropa sp. were recorded.