Monitoring of pests is the cornerstone of any integrated pest management program, as it enables timely interventions, minimizes crop losses, and is essential for an eco-friendly and effective pest management strategy. Sticky traps represent a promising tool for monitoring the presence and abundance of insect species. However, their effectiveness is influenced by the measurable spectral reflectance of the colour, which impacts the attraction of diurnal insect species. The onion maggot (Delia antiqua Meigen) is one among the most destructive pests of onion. The present study evaluates the efficacy of four differently coloured sticky traps—yellow, blue, green, and white—installed at three different heights (25cm, 50cm, and 75cm) in trapping adult D. antiqua under field conditions. White coloured sticky traps were found to be the most attractive trap, capturing a mean population of 55.53 flies, followed by blue coloured sticky traps with 48.26 flies, yellow coloured sticky trap with 20.86 flies and green coloured sticky trap with 5.80 flies. The traps installed at 25cm were most effective in attracting D. antiqua capturing a population of 58.96 flies followed by traps installed at 50cm with 31.01 flies and traps installed at 75cm with 7.87 flies. The addition of lure increased the trapping efficiency of all the four coloured sticky traps without any influence on the attractiveness ranking of colours. The treatments were significantly different from each other and the control (no lure). Traps baited with enzymatic yeast hydrolysate proved most attractive for D. antiqua, trapping a mean population of 65.91 flies followed by traps baited with dipropyl-disulphide with 62.91 flies.

Agroforestry systems are widely recognized for its provision of ecosystem services including but not limited to provisional, regulatory, cultural and supporting services. Apart from the monetary benefits, it plays an important role in biodiversity augmentation and conservation. The paper aims to assess the impact of multifunctional agroforestry on butterfly biodiversity that was established in 0.75 acres with 24 different tree species and 8 intercrops organized into four equally sized, distinct quadrats at Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam. The butterflies were counted and observed by Pollard walk method on alternate days in three different time slots (09:00-10:00 hours, 12:00-13:00 hours and 15:00-16:00 hours) for three months (December, 2023 to February, 2024). A total of 42 species of butterflies belonging to four families were recorded during the study period. Among the four families, maximum numbers were found in Nymphalidae (45%), Pieridae (26%), Papilonidae (17%) and Lycaenidae (12%). The relative abundance, species richness, diversity (H'), dominance (D), evenness (E) and equitability (J) index were calculated in each quadrat at different time slots and were found to be significantly different. Owing to its highest species richness and diversity index, Quadrat I was considered to be a better habitat for butterflies compared to other quadrats (H'=3.46; D=0.037; E=0.80; J=0.938; Abundance= 31%).

Common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae Burkhharat and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae), is one of the most critical pests of pistachio trees in Iran. Considering the dangers of excessive use of synthetic chemical pesticides, the use of inorganic fertilizers as insecticides may be a way to reduce the presence of harmful chemical residues. In this study, the effects of inorganic fertilizers on the population density of A. pistaciae nymphs were investigated. The results showed that potassium nitrate reduced the population growth of A. pistaciae nymphs in the Ohadi variety, while in the Ahmad Aghaei variety, it increased the population growth rate. Moreover, potassium sulfate and zinc sulfate were found to decrease the population growth rate of common pistachio psylla during the 12 days after spraying. Therefore, the use of certain inorganic fertilizers has the potential to be a safe method in the integrated management of common pistachio psylla.