BIODIVERSITY OF ARTHROPODS AND DISEASES ON INDIGENOUS VEGETABLES IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN

Abstract

The Dayak tribe consumes wild indigenous vegetables as a part of their diet. However, there is limited information available about the pests and diseases affecting these vegetables. To address this, a study was conducted to investigate and identify the presence of natural enemies such as parasites and predators, as well as to assess the dominance of arthropods and the occurrence of diseases. The parameters studies included the symptoms of pest and disease attacks, the dominance index and incidence of diseases, and the order and family classifications of arthropods, based on the morphology of pests, parasites, and predators, respectively. Results revealed that the arthropods identified were composed of 8 orders, 36 families and 660 individuals. The predator population was found to be 94.46% on the soil surface, while the population of nocturnal insects was 74.19%. The presence of pests was predominantly found on the canopy, accounting for 92.83%. The arthropod dominance index was categorized as high, with values of 0.58 and 0.75, dominated by yellow mites (Tarsonemidae) and weaver ants (Formicidae). On the other hand, the dominance index of nocturnal insects was only 0.15. The disease incidence of Solanum ferox caused by Colletotrichum sp was 5%, lower than that observed in Helminthostachys zeylanica, Allium schoenoprasum, and Ceratopteris thalictroides caused by Curvularia sp (45.8%), but still considered to be in the non-hazardous category.

Keywords

• exploration
• identification
• pest
• disease
• indigenous vegetable