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The Pharma Innovation Journal 2023; 12(6): 3364-3373
ISSN (E): 2277-7695
ISSN (P): 2349-8242
NAAS Rating: 5.23
TPI 2023; 12(6): 3364-3373
© 2023 TPI
www.thepharmajournal.com
Received: 21-03-2023
Accepted: 03-05-2023
Karanjeet Kaur
P.G. Department of Agriculture,
Khalsa College Amritsar,
Punjab, India
Navdeep Kaur
P.G. Department of Agriculture,
Khalsa College Amritsar,
Punjab, India
Gurleen Kaur
P.G. Department of Agriculture,
Khalsa College Amritsar,
Punjab, India
Kavita Bajaj
P.G. Department of Agriculture,
Khalsa College Amritsar,
Punjab, India
Corresponding Author:
Kavita Bajaj
P.G. Department of Agriculture,
Khalsa College Amritsar,
Punjab, India
Diversity and relative abundance of arthropods on
peach under northwestern region of Punjab, India
Karanjeet Kaur, Navdeep Kaur, Gurleen Kaur and Kavita Bajaj
Abstract
Arthropods play very crucial roles in maintaining productive and healthy orchard ecosystem. The diverse
fauna of arthropods which inhibit the ecosystem of peach orchard include pests, natural enemies and
pollinators. In our study, we assessed the biodiversity and abundance of arthropods visitors in peach
orchard. Different methods including sweep nets, visual searching methods, yellow sticky traps and
pheromone traps at fortnight interval resulted in a total of twenty species of arthropods collection.
Among them, pollinators including eight species constituted a large proportion of arthropods followed by
four species of each group viz. arachnids, insect-pests and natural enemies. Among pollinators apidae
family showed maximum relative abundance (82%) followed by syrphidae (10%) and halicitdae (8%).
The relative abundance was highest in Apis mellifera (21.74%) followed by A. cerana (17.36%) and
lowest relative abundance was observed in Xylocopa fenestrata (6.85%). All the pollinator species were
most active at 1200h of the day in comparison to 1600h and 0800h. In case of pests, Myzus persicae
(47.11%) was the most abundant insect while among arachnids Tetranychus urticae (7.81%) was the
most prominent mite that attacks the peach trees. Among natural enemies, Coccinella septumpunctata
(7.98%) was the most dominant insect. Maximum mean abundance of all the pests and natural enemies
were observed during the months of April to June and that of pollinators were observed during peak
flowering season February-March. Our data on abundance and diversity of arthropods will help in
efficient management of pests without causing considerable damage to beneficial insects.
Keywords: Abundance, diversity, natural enemies, peach, pests, pollinators
1. Introduction
Peach Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, is the economically crucial fruit belonged to Rosaceae
family and is cultivated in temperate regions (Abidi et al., 2018) [1]. The peach is a sweet, juicy
fruit known for its distinct color and taste. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidant and low
in calories. It can also help improve cholesterol levels and may reduce risk of developing heart
disease (Sachdev, 2022) [2]. Peach flowers produce abundant nectar and pollen and are
attractive to many pollinating agents. Though they are self-compatible, yet cross pollination
helps in improving the quality and increasing the yield of the crop (Abrol, 2005) [3]. Insect
pollinators play vital role in pollination of peach and the strong effect of insect pollinator
diversity on the degree of pollination may be a result of complementary behavior of the
various functional groups, their richness and abundance. Insects belonging to apidae family
including honey bees and Xylocopa sp. regarded as the most important and dominant
commercial pollinators (<90 per cent), although other bee species like alkali bees (Nomia),
leafcutter bees (Megachilidae) and bumble bees (Bombus) also helps in pollination (Dar et al.,
2020) [4]. Despite the pollinators, there are huge diversity of insect-pests and mites found on
peach trees, causing damage to the bloom, fruits, twigs, limbs, and trunk. The most prevalent
insect-pests reported are Peach leaf curl aphid, Peach black aphid, Green peach aphid, Chaffer
and other defoliating beetles, Hairy caterpillars, Leafhoppers, Oriental fruit moth, Peach fruit
fly, Peach flat headed borer and Plum caseworm (Stocks and Olmstead, 2013) [5]. Among pests
belonging to Arachnida class, Two-spotted spider mites and Oriental spider mites, are reported
to cause infestation on peach trees (LaForest, 2008) [6]. The natural enemies are essential
agents in balancing the pest population including ladybird beetle, hoverflies and green
lacewings are reported in peach orchard (Gacem and Mezerdi, 2022) [7]. However, little is
known about the arthropod fauna on peach orchards in Punjab. Knowledge about the
pollinator’s abundance, pests and natural enemies would be helpful in pest forecasting and
utilization of their management practices without disturbing beneficial insects. Therefore, the
present study aimed to identify the biodiversity and seasonal abundance of the arthropods
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community including pollinators, pests and natural enemies
on peach orchards.
2. Materials and methods
2.1 Survey and collection
The samples of arthropods visiting peach were collected from
orchard present at Khalsa College Amritsar, located at
31.63°N 74.87°E with an average elevation of 234 meters
(768 ft) during February to October 2022.
2.2 Climatic characteristics
Amritsar has a semiarid climate, typical of Northwestern
India. This region experiences four seasons primarily: winter
season (December to March), summer season (April to June),
monsoon season (July to September) and post-monsoon
season (October to November). Annual rainfall is about 703.4
millimeters (27.7 inches).
2.3 Method of collection for pollinators
The collections of pollinators were carried out with the help
of insect collection net (32 cm diameters) with adjustable
hand which allowed relatively easy access to foragers from a
distance of 2.5 m. Thirty sweeps of insect collections net were
made at three- hour intervals starting from 0800 to 1600h,
over every week during the blooming period of crop. The
collected samples were later sorted in Entomology Lab, P.G.
Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College, Amritsar for
subsequent identification, grouping and observations.
2.4 Method of collection for pests and natural enemies
Collection of pests and natural enemies were done during
morning hours from 10.00 am to 11.00 am from five plants,
which were selected randomly. From each plant 15 leaves
were collected from the different part of tree canopy i.e.
lower, middle and upper canopy. The samples were collected
using sweep nets, traps and manually. Trapped insects were
killed using ethyl acetate in the killing bottle before being
identified and preserved. The specimens were stretched, dried,
dry pinned (for hard bodied insects) and preserved in the 70%
ethyl alcohol (for soft bodied insects). Different traps used to
collect pests and natural enemies’ population were as follows:
2.4.1 Yellow sticky traps
The yellow sticky trap was made of art paper (15 × 20 cm)
which was painted with lemon yellow colour on both sides,
sealed with a thin transparent plastic cover, and smeared with
sticky glue. Installations of five yellow sticky traps were done
at five randomly selected trees. Reinstallation of traps was
taken once the traps were full of insects or dust. In our study,
yellow sticky traps were used to determine the abundance of
aphids and spiders.
2.4.2 Pheromone traps
Installations of sixteen pheromone traps per acre were done at
randomly selected trees. The traps were made from yellow
buckets with white lids and were filled with para-pheromones
i.e., methyl eugenol and insecticides which attracts and kill
the male fruit flies.
2.5 Abundance of arthropods
Relative abundance of various arthropods was calculated by
using formula
Relative Abundance (%) = 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬
𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 ×𝟏𝟎𝟎
The data on various aspects was statistically analyzed with the
help of online software ICAR WASP through Randomized
block design using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and were
separated by least significant difference (LSD) at p= 0.05
(Gomez and Gomez, 1984) [8].
2.6 Diversity Indices
The diversity indices of arthropods were analyzed by using
seven diversity indices comprising one evenness indices
[Shannon evenness/Pielou evenness, 1966 (E of H’)]; five
proportional abundance indices [Simpson’s index, D;
Simpson’s index of diversity, S; Simpson’s reciprocal index
1/D(S); Shannon index of diversity, 1949 (H’); and Berger-
Parker’s index, d]; one species number indices [Marglef’s
Index, 1958 (DMg) (Table1).
Table 1: Measures of species diversity
Name of the diversity measure
Symbol
Formula*
Species evenness indices
Shannon evenness/ Pielou evenness
E
H’/ln(S)
Proportional abundance indices
Simpson’s index
D
∑(n/N)2
Simpson’s index of diversity
S
1-D
Simpson’s reciprocal index
1/D(S) or 1/Ds
1/∑pi2
Shannon index of diversity
H’
-∑(pi× lnpi
Berger- Parker index
d
Nmax/N
Species number indices
Margalef’s index (1958)
D(Mg) or DMg
(S-1)/ lnN
*Definition of symbols: S, the number of species in the sample; pi, the proportion of individuals in the ith species (pi = ni/N); ni, is
the number of individuals of species i in the sample; N, the total number of individuals sampled; Nmax, the number of individuals
of the most abundant species.
3. Results and Discussions
3.1 Abundance of arthropods visiting peach orchard
Total twenty species of arthropod community were collected
from the peach orchard namely Predatory mite, Euseius
finlandicus (Gupta), Two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus
urticae (Koch), Black footed yellow sac spider,
Cheiracanthium inclusum (Hentz), Jumping spider, Pelegrina
exigua (Banks), Painted bug, Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister),
Green stink bug, Chinavia hilaris (Say), Green peach aphid,
Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Blue banded bee, Amegilla cingulata
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(Fabricius), Rock bee, Apis dorsata (F.), Indian hive bee, Apis
cerana (F.), Little bee, Apis florea (F.), European bee, Apis
mellifera (Linnaeus), Carpenter bee, Xylocopa fenestrata (F.),
Black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (Dee Geer),
Sweat bee, Lasioglossum sp., Peach fruit fly, Bactrocera
zonata (Hendel), Syrphid fly, Eristalinus megacephalus
(Rossi), Dragonfly, Anax imperator (Leach), Lady bird bettle,
Coccinella septumpunctata L., and Parthenium beetle,
Zygogramma bicolorata (Pallister) (Table 2).
3.1.1 Pollinators
A total of eight pollinators were collected from peach orchard
which are belonging to two orders (hymenoptera and dipetra)
and three families (apidae, syrphidae and halicitidae) of class
Insecta. It was observed that 82 per cent pollinators were
belonging to family apidae followed by syrphidae (10%) and
halicitidae (8%). All the four species of honey bees were most
abundant insect pollinators belonging to apidae family which
comprised 60 per cent of total flower visitation. The per cent
relative abundance of different pollinators on peach indicated
that A. mellifera (21.74%) was the most prevalent pollinator
followed by A. cerana (17.36%) while the X. fenestrata
(6.85%) was the least visitor (Fig 1).
The mean population of pollinators was highest in A.
mellifera (6.34±0.62 bees/30 sweeps) whereas, the lowest was
reported in X. fenestrata (2.00±1.48 bees/30 sweeps). Time
wise, the mean populations of pollinators per 30 sweeps
revealed that the eight pollinator species were significantly
higher at 1200h (34.36±5.02) followed by at 1600h
(28.20±4.60) and the lowest population at 0800h (24.83±4.34)
(Table 3). The present investigation on pollinator abundance
is in confirmity with the findings of Kumar (1995) [9] who
reported that A. cerana and A. mellifera were the most
abundant insect pollinator on peach crop. He also reported
that different insect visitors belong to order hymenoptera,
diptera, lepidoptera and coleoptera. Choi and Kim (1988) [10]
also reported that honey bees constituted 70-80 per cent of
total insect population on peach bloom in North Korea. Abrol
et al. (1989) [11] also studied the pollinators on different
temperate fruit crops such as apple, peach, plum and cherry in
Jammu and Kashmir. The important pollinators visiting these
crops were Xylocopa sp., Lasioglossum sp., Halictus sp., A.
mellifera and Bombus terrestris. Hourly activity duration of
pollinators has a direct bearing on the intensity of pollination.
Pollinators will pollinate more flowers if they remain active
for a longer duration. Foraging activity duration of a
pollinator varies from species to species and plant to plant
(Free, 1993) [12]. During the present studies the time wise, the
pollinator abundance and hourly activity pattern on peach
flower.
Table 2: Arthropods visiting peach orchard during 2022
Class
Order
Family
Scientific name
Common name
Arachnida
Mesostigmata
Phytoseiidae
Euseius finlandicus
Predatory mite
Trombidiformes
Tetranychidae
Tetranychus urticae
Two-spotted spider mite
Araneae
Cheiracanthiidae
Cheiracanthium inclusum
Black footed yellow sac spider
Salticidae
Pelegrina exigua
Jumping spider
Insecta
Hemiptera
Pentatomidae
Bagrada hilaris
Painted bug
Chinavia hilaris
Green stink bug
Aphididae
Myzus persicae
Green peach aphid
Hymenoptera
Apidae
Amegilla cingulata
Blue banded bee
Apis dorsata
Rock bee
Apis cerana
Indian hive bee
Apis florea
Little bee
Apis mellifera
European bee
Xylocopa fenestrata
Carpenter bee
Formicinae
Camponotus
pennsylvanicus
Black carpenter ant
Halicitidae
Lasioglossum sp.
Sweat bee
Diptera
Tephritidae
Bactrocera zonata
Peach fruit fly
Syrphidae
Eristalinus megacephalus
Syrphid fly
Odonata
Aeshnidae
Anax imperator
Dragonfly
Coleoptera
Coccinellidae
Coccinella septempunctata
Lady bird bettle
Chrysomelidae
Zygogramma bicolorata
Parthenium beetle
Fig 1: Per cent relative abundance of pollinators visiting peach orchard
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Table 3: Relative abundance of pollinators visiting peach orchard
Time Pollinators
*Mean number of pollinators per 30 net sweeps
Overall Mean
0800h
1200h
1600h
Apis mellifera
5.63a±0.51
7.56a±0.73
5.83a±0.63
6.34±0.62
Apis cerana
4.36ab±0.59
5.86b±0.74
4.96ab±0.62
5.06±0.65
Amegilla cingulata
3.30bc±0.54
4.73bc±0.84
4.23abc±0.65
4.08±0.68
Apis dorsata
2.96bc±0.57
4.36bc±0.62
3.73bcd±0.58
3.68±0.59
Eristalinus megacephalus
2.56c±0.52
3.30cd±0.58
2.96cd±0.45
2.94±0.51
Apis florea
2.16c±0.56
3.26cd±0.48
2.70bcd±0.55
2.71±0.53
Lasioglossum sp.
2.06c±0.48
2.76cd±0.60
2.16cd±0.57
2.33±0.55
Xylocopa fenestrata
1.80c±0.52
2.56d±0.39
1.63d±0.52
2.00±1.48
Total
24.83±4.34
34.36±5.02
28.20±4.60
28.60±4.65
LSD (p =0.05)
1.72
2.22
2.24
6.18
*Mean±S.E; Mean of five replications, LSD; Least significant difference, variables (a, b, c....) significantly at 5% level of significance.
start rising from early in the morning hours (sunrise) and
become peak maximum at midday (1200 hours) due to the
presence of abundant pollen and nectar and declined at noon
(1600 hours) due to the less availability of floral rewards and
effect of environmental factors, viz. temperature and relative
humidity. Roy et al. (2014) [13] also concluded the same
results as maximum abundance of pollinators were at the
middle of the day i.e., 12 noon. Apart from honey bees
(hymenopterans) peach flowers were also visited by certain
dipteran species. Similar observations were also reported by
Arya and Badoni (2019) [14].
3.1.2 Pests and natural enemies
The per cent relative abundance of pest was higher in M.
persicae (47.11%) and lowest of pest B. hilaris (0.95%) was
observed (Fig 2). In case of natural enemies, the per cent
relative abundance was found maximum in C. septumpunctata
(7.98%) and least in C. inclusum (1.36) (Fig 3).
Fig 2: Per cent relative abundance of pests visiting peach orchard
Fig 3: Per cent relative abundance of natural enemies visiting peach orchard
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The maximum mean population of pests and natural enemies
were recorded highest during the months of April to July due
to the hot and summer season. In case of pests, the highest
mean population of M. persicae (17.46±1.78) and the lowest
of B. hilaris (0.31±0.13) was observed (Table 4). The
maximum mean population was found of M. persicae during
1st fortnight of April. The population of B. zonata was
maximum during 2nd fortnight of May. The maximum mean
population of T. urticae was obtained during 2nd fortnight of
May. The E. finlandicus had maximum population during 2nd
fortnight of May. C. hilaris had maximum population in the
1st fortnight of May. In case of B. hilaris maximum mean
population was observed in the 1st fortnight of June. The pest
population was declining in month of August and remains
inactive during 1st and 2nd fortnight of October. In case of
natural enemies, the maximum mean population of C.
septumpunctata (2.98±0.65) was highest and lowest of C.
inclusum (0.44±0.23) was recorded (Table 5).
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Table 4: Relative abundance of pests visiting peach orchard
Time
Pests
*Mean number of pests per 15 leaves
Overall
mean
1st
fortnight
of Feb
2nd
fortnight
of Feb
1st
fortnight
of March
2nd
fortnight
of March
1st
fortnight
of April
2nd
fortnight
of April
1st
fortnight
of May
2nd
fortnight
of May
1st
fortnight
of June
2nd
fortnight
of June
1st
fortnight
of July
2nd
fortnight
of July
1st
fortnight
of August
2nd
fortnight
of August
1st
fortnight
of Sept
2nd
fortnight
of Sept
1st
fortnight
of Oct
2nd
fortnight
of Oct
Myzus
persicae
3.40a±1.37
8.20a±0.77
28.20a±1.73
37.20a±2.74
40.60a±1.80
32.60a±3.43
28.20a±2.36
25.60a±3.57
22.20a±3.70
17.40a±2.20
15.8a±1.56
9.40a±1.22
5.20a±0.77
3.60a±1.08
1.80a±0.33
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
17.46±1.78
Bactrocera
zonata
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
6.60b±0.83
8.80b±1.03
11.60b±1.43
14.4b±1.08
12.80b±0.77
11.60b±0.83
7.20b±1.14
6.60b±0.92
3.20ab±0.77
2.80a±0.59
0.00c±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
4.75±0.52
Tetranychus
urticae
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
1.40b±0.45
1.60b±0.45
2.00c±0.62
3.80bc±0.77
5.20c±0.77
8.80c±0.77
5.80c±0.77
4.80c±0.77
3.60c±1.08
2.80c±0.77
2.20bc±0.77
1.80ab±0.7
1
1.20ab±0.5
2
0.80b±0.33
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
2.54±0.53
Euseius
finlandicus
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.40b±0.21
0.20c±0.17
1.20c±0.52
3.00c±0.63
4.20cd±0.77
3.20c±0.52
2.40cd±0.45
2.20cd±0.77
1.00cd±0.40
1.00cd±0.49
0.80b±0.33
0.40bc±0.2
1
0.20b±0.17
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
1.12±0.31
Chinavia
hilaris
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.60c±0.35
2.20c±0.52
3.00c±0.63
2.80d±0.59
2.20c±0.77
1.80cd±0.52
0.00d±0.00
0.00d±0.00
0.00d±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00c±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.70±0.18
Bagrada
hilaris
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.80c±0.33
1.00c±0.40
1.20c±0.52
0.40d±0.21
1.40c±0.67
0.80d±0.33
0.00d±0.00
0.00d±0.00
0.00d±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00c±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.00b±0.00
0.31±0.13
Total
3.40±1.37
8.20±0.77
29.60±2.18
39.20±3.40
50.80±4.10
49.60±6.67
52.20±6.34
56.20±6.92
47.60±7.20
38.80±5.10
28.80±4.55
19.80±3.31
11.60±2.80
9.00±2.71
3.40±1.06
1.00±0.50
0.00±0.00
0.00±0.00
26.88±3.45
LSD
(p=0.05)
1.85
1.03
2.45
3.81
2.78
5.22
4.03
5.49
5.34
3.26
2.72
2.19
2.03
1.99
0.89
0.53
Non-
significant
Non-
significant
2.85
*Mean±S.E; Mean of five replications, LSD; Least significant difference, variables (a, b, c...) significantly differ from each other at 5% level of significance
Table 5: Relative abundance of natural enemies visiting peach orchard
Time
Natural
enemies
*Mean number of natural enemies per 15 leaves
Overall
mean
1st
fortnight
of Feb
2nd
fortnight
of Feb
1st
fortnight
of March
2nd
fortnight
of March
1st
fortnight
of April
2nd
fortnight
of April
1st
fortnight
of May
2nd
fortnight
of May
1st
fortnight of
June
2nd
fortnight
of June
1st
fortnight
of July
2nd
fortnight
of July
1st
fortnight
of
August
2nd
fortnight
of August
1st
fortnight
of Sept
2nd
fortnight
of Sept
1st
fortnight
of Oct
2nd
fortnight
of Oct
Coccinella
septempunctata
1.60a±1.4
9
1.20b±0.52
4.80a±0.77
7.20a±1.14
5.20a±0.95
5.00a±0.4
0
4.20a±0.7
7
4.00a±0.6
3
3.80a±0.77
3.60a±0.45
2.20ab±0.7
7
1.80b±0.77
1.40b±0.4
5
1.20b±0.3
3
0.60b±0.2
1
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.00
2.98±0.6
5
Anax imperator
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.00
0.00c±0.00
0.00d±0.00
0.00c±0.00
0.00c±0.0
0
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.0
0
2.60ab±1.04
3.80a±1.45
4.20a±0.77
4.40a±0.83
6.20a±0.5
2
7.80a±1.0
3
4.20a±0.7
7
3.20a±0.7
7
2.20a±0.6
5
1.20a±0.43
2.21±0.4
6
Camponotus
pennsylvanicus
0.00b±0.0
0
0.20b±0.40
1.80b±0.71
2.20bc±0.9
9
2.60b±0.83
2.00b±0.8
0
1.80b±0.8
2
1.80b±1.0
7
0.40bc±0.67
1.40ab±0.7
8
1.20b±0.52
1.20bc±0.7
1
1.00b±0.4
0
0.80b±0.3
5
0.80b±0.4
3
0.00b±0.0
0
0.80b±0.5
2
0.00b±0.00
1.27±0.6
2
Zygogramma
bicolorata
0.40a±0.2
1
0.80ab±0.3
3
1.40bc±0.4
5
3.00b±0.63
2.60b±0.67
2.00b±0.6
3
1.40b±0.6
7
1.20b±0.3
3
1.80abc±0.7
1
0.80b±0.33
0.60b±0.35
0.20c±0.17
1.00b±0.4
0
0.60b±0.3
5
0.20b±0.1
7
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.0
0
0..00b±0.0
0
1.12±0.4
0
Pelegrina
exigua
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.00
0.40bc±0.2
1
0.60cd±0.2
1
0.80bc±0.3
3
0.20c±0.1
7
0.80b±0.3
3
1.60b±0.3
5
0.00c±0.00
0.60b±0.35
1.00b±0.40
0.80bc±0.3
3
0.60b±0.3
5
0.60b±0.3
5
0.80b±0.3
3
0.20b±0.1
7
0.60b±0.3
5
0.20b±0.17
0.61±0.2
7
Cheiracanthiu
m inclusum
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.00
0.20c±0.17
0.20cd±0.1
7
0.40c±0.21
0.20c±0.7
0.60b±0.3
5
0.80b±0.3
3
1.20bc±0.71
0.80b±0.33
1.20b±0.52
0.60bc±0.3
5
0.60b±0.3
5
0.40b±0.2
1
0.80b±0.3
3
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.0
0
0.00b±0.00
0.44±0.2
3
Total
2.00±1.70
2.20±1.25
8.60±2.31
13.20±3.14
11.60±2.99
9.40±2.17
8.80±2.94
9.40±2.71
9.80±3.90
11.00±3.66
10.40±3.33
9.00±3.16
10.80±2.4
7
11.40±2.6
1
7.40±2.24
3.40±0.94
3.60±1.52
1.40±0.60
8.63±2.6
3
LSD (p=0.05)
0.96
0.86
1.57
2.01
1.81
1.73
1.86
1.94
2.22
2.45
2.17
1.51
1.43
1.73
1.48
1.02
1.21
0.66
1.59
*Mean±S.E; Mean of five replications, LSD; Least significant difference, variables (a, b, c...) significantly differ from each other at 5% level of significance
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The mean population of C. septumpunctata was found to be
maximum during 2nd fortnight of March. The mean population
of A. imperator had maximum during 1st fortnight of August.
The maximum population of C. pennsylvanicus was found in
1st fortnight of April. Z. bicolorata was found to be maximum
during 2nd fortnight of March. Rest of the other natural
enemies P. exigua had maximum mean population during 2nd
fortnight while C. inclusum had maximum mean population in
2nd fortnight of June and July.
The current findings on relative abundance of pests and
natural enemies were strongly supported by Gacem and
Mezerdi (2022) [7], they observed the maximum relative
abundance of M. persicae with 26.46% followed by
Brachycaudus helichrysi with 4.85%. They also reported that
ladybugs dominate in peach orchards compared to hoverflies
and green lacewing. The Coccinellidae represent the vast
majority of 25.19%, followed by the other species in the
peach orchard. The present results on abundance and diversity
of various pests and natural enemies in peach revealed that the
maximum population of pests was observed in April to July
and was peaked in month of June and July which was strongly
supported by Kumar et al. (2015) [15] he reported that the
incidence of T. urticae increases from the March and decrease
with the change in weather conditions. Akyazi et al. (2016) [16]
reported that incidence of phytoseiids was maximum during
the month of July and it decreases after October. Veerendra et
al. (2015) [17] and Choudhary (2016) [18] has also reported the
presence of mites during the hot and humid months. Brown
and Schmitt (2001) [19] indicated the maximum abundance of
the insects in peach orchard in the month of May and June
and less abundant in July and August. Bouchelta and Allam
(2023) [20] observed the population of T. urticae on peach
initiated in mid-March, gradually increased and peak in the
month of May, June and August and then declined later (mid-
October). Putman (1967) [21] reported the spider population in
peach orchard population was highest in the month of July
and declined in the month of August and September. In case
of aphids, present finding are in conformity with Sharma and
Khokhar (2018) [22] who observed that the mean population of
aphid was highest during the month of February and March
then declined in the month of April and May. Also similar
results were observed by Gacem and Mezerdi (2022) [7] in
which they indicated that the natural enemies of aphids
appeared in April, the activity of the predators decreased at
the end of May and the presence of high ladybird species in
the peach. Farooq and Arya (2019) [23] recorded that the
different insect pests on peach crop and they revealed that the
bugs, aphids and beetles were the most prevalent pests in
peach. The maximum diversity of insect pests was observed
during the rainy season followed by spring and autumn
seasons, and dropped to minimum in the winter season. In
case of fruit flies, Sharma et al. (2011) [24] also supported the
current findings that the population of fruit flies starts
building up from April and continues up to October on the
peach crop.
3.2 Diversity indices of arthropods
3.2.1 Pollinators
Seven diversity indices were calculated for pollinators in
peach orchard (Table 6). The calculated values of Simpson’s
index (D), Simpson’s index of diversity (SID), Simpson’s
reciprocal index (1/D), Shannon index of diversity (H’),
Margalef’s index of diversity (Dmg), Berger Parker diversity
index (d) and Evenness index (E) were ranged from 0.12 to
0.31, 0.69 to 0.88, 3.22 to 8.33, 1.54 to 2.24, 0.72 to 1.10,
0.20 to 0.90 and 0.92 to 1.25 respectively.
The current findings on diversity of pollinators were strongly
supported by Dar et al. (2018) [25] who observed the
pollinators of peach during the blooming period. They
revealed the value of Simpson’s index (D) of peach
pollinators were ranges from 0.1 to 0.3. Bashir et al. (2015)
[26] who estimated the Simpson index (D) value of pollinator
species ranges from 0.06 to 0.11 and Simpson’s index of
diversity (SID) of pollinator species obtained in present study
are same agreement with Bashir et al. (2015) [26] who also
reported the Simpson index of diversity value ranges 0.70 to
0.87. The value of Shannon index of diversity (H’) of peach
pollinator species ranged from 1.54 to 2.24, which were
strongly supported by Belamkar and Jadesh (2014) [27] who
observed that Shannon diversity index (H) ranges from
minimum 1.00 to 2.22. Similarly, the Kyerematen et al.
(2014) [28] studied the species composition and observed the
highest Shannon diversity index (H’) of 3.9 and insect
pollinator species evenness of 0.928 to 0.977. Similarly,
Anbalagan et al. (2015) [29] observed the evenness species of
pollinators from 0.813 to 0.907, they also recorded the value
of Berger Parker diversity index from 0.08 to 0.30.
Table 6: Diversity indices of pollinators visiting peach orchard
Time Diversity
indices
1st fortnight
of February
2nd fortnight
of February
1st fortnight of
March
2nd fortnight of
March
1st fortnight of
April
2nd fortnight of
April
Simpson’s index (D)
0.22
0.13
0.12
0.13
0.31
0.17
Simpson’s index of diversity (SID)
0.78
0.87
0.88
0.87
0.69
0.83
Simpson’s reciprocal index (1/D)
4.54
7.69
8.33
7.69
3.22
5.88
Shannon index of diversity (H’)
1.54
2.24
1.91
1.93
2.10
2.09
Margalef’s index of diversity (Dmg)
0.72
0.81
1.10
1.09
0.98
0.91
Berger Parker diversity (d)
0.30
0.90
0.20
0.21
0.21
0.22
Evenness index(E)
0.96
1.25
0.92
0.93
1.09
1.16
3.2.2 Pests and natural enemies
In case of pests, the calculated values of Simpson’s index (D),
Simpson’s index of diversity (SID), Simpson’s reciprocal
index (1/D), Shannon index of diversity (H’), Margalef’s
index of diversity (Dmg), Berger Parker diversity index (d) and
Evenness index (E) were ranged from 0.00 to 1.00, 0.00 to
0.91, 0.00 to 3.33, 0.00 to 2.27, 0.00 to 0.95, 0.00 to 1.00 and
0.00 to 1.30 respectively (Table 7). In case of natural enemies,
the calculated values of Simpson’s index (D), Simpson’s
index of diversity (SID), Simpson’s reciprocal index (1/D),
Shannon index of diversity (H’), Margalef’s index of diversity
(Dmg), Berger Parker diversity index (d) and Evenness index
(E) were ranged from 0.23 to 0.71, 0.12 to 0.77, 1.13 to 4.32,
0.26 to 1.24, 0.02 to 1.26, 0.34 to 0.94 and 0.08 to 1.36
respectively (Table 8).
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Table 7: Diversity indices of pests visiting peach orchard
Time
Diversity
Indices
1st
fortnight
of Feb
2nd
fortnight
of Feb
1st
fortnight
of March
2nd
fortnight
of March
1st
fortnight
of April
2nd
fortnight
of April
1st
fortnight
of May
2nd
fortnight
of May
1st
fortnight
of June
2nd
fortnight
of June
1st
fortnight
of July
2nd
fortnight
of July
1st
fortnight
of Aug
2nd
fortnight
of Aug
1st
fortnight
of Sept
2nd
fortnight
of Sept
1st
fortnight
of Oct
2nd
fortnight
of Oct
Simpson’s index (D)
1.00
1.00
0.90
0.09
0.65
0.46
0.35
0.30
0.30
0.30
0.38
0.35
0.30
0.28
0.38
0.60
0.00
0.00
Simpsons index of
diversity (SID)
0.00
0.00
0.10
0.91
0.35
0.54
0.65
0.70
0.70
0.70
0.62
0.65
0.70
0.72
0.62
0.40
0.00
0.00
Simpson’s reciprocal
index (1/D)
1.00
1.00
1.11
1.09
1.53
2.17
2.85
3.33
3.33
3.33
2.63
2.85
3.33
3.57
2.63
1.66
0.00
0.00
Shannon index of
diversity (H’)
0.30
0.36
0.65
1.42
2.27
1.99
1.84
1.55
1.45
1.34
1.08
1.12
1.01
0.90
0.44
0.16
0.00
0.00
Margalef’s index of
diversity (Dmg)
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.37
0.90
0.90
0.89
0.88
0.91
0.95
0.60
0.65
0.73
0.78
0.70
0.62
0.00
0.00
Berger Parker
diversity(d)
1.00
1.00
0.95
0.94
0.79
0.65
0.54
0.45
0.46
0.44
0.54
0.47
0.44
0.40
0.52
0.80
0.00
0.00
Evenness index(E)
0.00
0.00
0.94
1.30
1.26
1.11
1.02
0.86
0.81
0.74
0.78
0.81
0.92
0.82
0.40
0.23
0.00
0.00
Table 8: Diversity indices of natural enemies visiting peach orchard
Time
Diversity
Indices
1st
fortnight
of Feb
2nd
fortnight
of Feb
1st
fortnight
of March
2nd
fortnight
of March
1st
fortnight
of April
2nd
fortnight
of April
1st
fortnight
of May
2nd
fortnight
of May
1st
fortnight
of June
2nd
fortnight
of June
1st
fortnight
of July
2nd
fortnight
of July
1st
fortnight
of Aug
2nd
fortnight
of Aug
1st
fortnight
of Sept
2nd
fortnight
of Sept
1st
fortnight
of Oct
2nd
fortnight
of Oct
Simpson’s
index (D)
0.64
0.38
0.36
0.36
0.29
0.36
0.29
0.25
0.25
0.24
0.23
0.31
0.35
0.48
0.34
0.88
0.41
0.71
Simpsons
index of
diversity (SID)
0.36
0.62
0.64
0.64
0.71
0.64
0.71
0.75
0.75
0.76
0.77
0.69
0.65
0.52
0.66
0.12
0.59
0.29
Simpson’s
reciprocal
index (1/D)
1.56
2.63
2.77
2.77
3.44
2.77
3.44
4.00
4.00
4.16
4.34
3.22
2.85
2.08
2.94
1.13
2.43
1.40
Shannon index
of diversity
(H’)
0.27
0.26
0.84
1.02
1.05
1.24
0.93
1.01
0.94
1.13
1.12
0.96
1.02
0.91
0.82
0.61
0.46
0.48
Margalef’s
index of
diversity (Dmg)
0.43
0.83
1.06
0.95
0.98
1.03
1.05
1.03
1.02
1.25
1.26
1.31
1.25
1.23
0.03
0.03
0.06
0.02
Berger Parker
diversity(d)
0.80
0.54
0.55
0.54
0.44
0.58
0.47
0.42
0.38
0.34
0.40
0.48
0.57
0.68
0.56
0.94
0.61
0.85
Evenness
index(E)
0.39
0.23
0.52
0.63
0.65
0.77
0.58
0.63
0.58
0.63
0.70
0.60
0.63
0.56
1.36
0.08
0.42
0.69
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The present results on diversity indices of pests and natural
enemies were supported by many researchers Gacem and
Mezerdi (2022) [7] observed the highest value of Simpson’s
Diversity i.e., 0.70 and the maximum value of Shannon’s
index i.e., 1.29 which were almost similar with the present
study. Furthermore, Farooq and Arya (2019) [23] also observed
the Shannon diversity index indicated that maximum numbers
of species were obtained in month of April (2.47) and
decrease in the month of October–February (1.09). The
calculated value of evenness was found to be maximum in the
month of March (0.99) and lowest in the month of February
(0.95). The calculated value of Berger Perker was recorded
from 0.10 to 0.20.
4. Conclusion
In peach orchard, total 20 species of arthropods were found
including eight species of pollinators, six of species of pests
(including 4 insects and 2 mites) and six species of natural
enemies (including 4 insects and 2 mites). Apidae was the
most abundant family with maximum abundance of A.
mellifera as compare to other species of pollinators. In case of
pests M. persicae was the most abundant insect and among
natural enemies, C. septumpunctata was the most dominant
insect. Maximum abundance of all the pests and natural
enemies was observed during the months of April to June and
that of pollinators was observed during Feb-March. Our
research thus providing basic information on the incidence of
pests which help in determining the appropriate time of action
and suitable methods for pest control.
5. Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Khalsa College Amritsar for giving me
opportunity to conduct this research.
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