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Field experiment testing of various concentrations (2, 4, 6 and 8% vol/vol) of an aqueous black soap and kerosene as a control for pod damage by Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stal. indicated that the 8% concentration was the most effective in reducing pod injury and increasing the yield of seed in 'Dan-Sokoto' cowpeas. None of the treatments significantly reduced the abundance of the pod sucking insects on the plants. Application of 8% concentration should therefore be considered for recommendation as a control to cowpea growers.

Vegetables seeds are carrier of mycoflora inciting bulk of diseases, responsible for quality and yield losses. Majority of microbes are saprophyte and few are potential pathogen for the crop. In this research seed mycoflora were isolated by using standard blotter paper and agar plate technique. Major vegetables of summer and winter seeds were collected from regional local markets of Punjab province. Among these 15 fungal genera and 18 different species were identified. According to results highest incidence of fungal pathogens were Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Penicillium camemberti and Bipolaris spp. and low incidence of Stemphylium spp., Cladosporim spp., F. semitectum, Curvularia lunata, Rhizopus nigricans, Paecilomyces lilacinus, Fusarium oxysporum, Drechslera australiensis, Ascochyta spp., A. fumigatus, Rhizoctonia spp., Alternaria alternata and Chaetomium globosum. The agar plate method was found to be the most suitable technique for detection seed-borne fungi in vegetable seed. The results of this study could be helpful for management of seed borne fungal pathogens of different vegetables. Our findings may also helpful for seed treatment before sowing with appropriate fungicides to overcome the losses caused by seed borne fungi.

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