Incidence of Insect Pests on Vegetable Crops in Trans-Himalayan Ladakh India A Survey

Insect pests are among the most critical constraints limiting vegetable production in trans-Himalayan Ladakh. However, there is limited information about the extent of crop damage, which hinders the development of effective pest management approaches for vegetable growers. The present study, therefore, aimed to identify farmers’ perceptions of the most damaging insect pests of vegetable crops and the extent of crop damage in the Ladakh region. A standard questionnaire was used to interview individual vegetable growers (n=586) about their perception regarding insect pests in four major vegetable-producing valleys in the region. Most farmers (87.9 %) perceived insect pest attacks on vegetable crops have increased in the past ten years. Among the insect pests reported by the growers, onion maggot was ranked the most damaging by 58.4 % of the respondents, followed by aphids (22.7 %), the caterpillar of cabbage butterfly (16.0 %), and cutworms (2.9 % of the respondents). Of the farmers surveyed, 35.5 % of vegetable growers reported that the onion maggot caused over 70 % damage to onion crops. The result of the study will enable the researchers, extension personnel, administrators, and policymakers to prioritize developing strategies for managing these key insect pests in the region. To our knowledge, no such data for the region is available.