FIRST REPORT ON NATURAL ENEMIES OF PIERIS BRASSICAE (LINNAEUS) FROM THE TERAI KUMAUN REGION OF UTTARAKHAND

Significant agricultural losses result from the rapidly growing pest of Pieris brassicae Linnaeus, also known as the cabbage white butterfly, which attacks cruciferous farmland. This report examines the wide assortment of parasitoids and predators that are linked to P. brassicae in the Kumaun terai ecosystems of Uttarakhand, North India. Through our fieldwork, we encountered fifteen species that are effective for suppressing the infestation of P. brassicae at different stages of life, four of which have never been documented from the Kumaun terai. The data on the biological indices suggest that natural enemies of P. brassicae are in adequate numbers with high species richness and evenness.  Highest number of species and individuals are reported from Nainital district of Kumaun region of Uttarakhand followed by Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat. This suggest mountainous and hilly regions are more appropriate to host species richness and the quantitative availability of the natural enemies of P. brassicae than the plain and terai areas of Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. The finding reveals an innovative relationship between predators and it proposes that biocontrol methodologies in organic farming may be amplified. To establish Integrated Pest Management strategies that can counteract P. brassicae effects while retaining ecological equilibrium, it’s imperative to know the variety and potency of these natural enemies.