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ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of plant population on insect pests of okra. The experiment was carried out at the Teaching and Research farm of Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, during the late cropping season of 2023. Six treatments namely: 40×25×1, 40×25×2, 40×25×3, 50×25×1, 50×25×2 and 50×25×3 were fitted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated four times with treatment plots measuring 3 × 2m separated by 0.5m. Data of insect pests, number of damaged plants and damaged severity was collected and analyzed using one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results of this study revealed the occurrence of insect pests in the families Aphidae, Cicadellidae, Chrysomelidae, Tortricidae and Pyrrhocoridae. Species in the order Hemiptera family Aphidae were the most abundant across all treatments. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) on abundance and percentage infestation although numerically, 40×25×3 had the highest mean abundance (39.44) and 40×25×1 and 40×25×2 had the maximum percentage infestation (84.2%). On the influence of the treatments on damage and severity, there was no significant difference although 50×25×1 recorded the highest number of damaged plants (5.02) and the damage severity was highest (5.02) in 40×25×3 and 50×25×1. The plant populations in this study did not positively influence the insect pest infestation and damage. Thus, these plant populations are better considered for other agronomic benefits apart from insect pest control.
