~ 1134 ~  Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2018; 6(1): 1134-1137 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 P-ISSN: 2349-6800 JEZS 2018; 6(1): 1134-1137 © 2018 JEZS Received: 20-11-2017 Accepted: 23-12-2017 Muhammad Jafir Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Muhammad Shehzad Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Qaisar Abbas Entomological Research Sub Station Multan, Pakistan Jam Nazeer Ahmad Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Asad Aslam Beekeeping and hill fruit Pests Research Station Rawalpindi, Pakistan Yasir Ali Department of plant pathology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Muhammad Aftab Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Muhammad Wajid Javed Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Correspondence Muhammad Jafir Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Germplasm screening of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) cultivars for resistance to sucking insect pests Muhammad Jafir, Muhammad Shehzad, Qaisar Abbas, Jam Nazeer Ahmad, Asad Aslam, Yasir Ali, Muhammad Aftab and Muhammad Wajid Javed Abstract A field experiment was conducted to study the response of cultivars/ hybrids/ germplasm of brinjal to major insect pests. The study revealed that the germplasm ADVANTA-314 was the best in reducing the damage of brinjal aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) while the germ plasm TWINKLE STAR is resistant to leafhopper, Amrasca devastans and TWINKLE STAR, DILL and ADVANTA-314 showed significant resistance against whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). Furthermore, the cultivar KHBR-202 is recorded deterrent to thrips Frankliniella occidentalis. Keywords: brinjal screening, cultivar resistance, brinjal germplasm, sucking pestresistance Introduction Solanum melongena L., commonly known as Brinjal, is an important vegetable. It is widely grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world including Pakistan [1] . It is a best source of a number of nutrients, vitamins, proteins, minerals and antioxidant [2-3] . In Pakistan, it is grown on 9,044 hactares area and the average yield is about 97,466 kg/ ha [4] . Insect pests are the limiting factor which affects the growth and yield of eggplant. Various types of insects damage the eggplant from sowing till harvesting. Some major pests of brinjal crop in Pakistan are brinjal fruit borer, Brinjal stem borer, leaf roller beetles, aphids, jassid, thrips, mites and white fly [5] . At the preliminary stage, the key constraints in successful crop propagation are the sucking pests. The only method utilized for these pests is the Chemical control. Repeated use of these pesticides not only poses the environmental hazards, but also the development of resistance in targeted pests as well as disturb the ecological balance [6] . Therefore, it is mandatory to develop an approach which not only cheap but also provides the environmental safety. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) involves various tactics for the better management of insect pests and the vital as well as initial component is to grow the cultivars that has resistance against insect pests. This approach has two major benefits. It not only reduces the chances of target pest infestation but also provide favorable circumstances for beneficial insects. Even a low level of tolerance in plants has a dramatic effect, which in fact reduces the need of insecticides [7] . Screening of brinjal cultivars against insect pests has been attempted by several workers [8] in Pakistan. However, the cultivars available in particular region need to be screened and efforts were made to determine the biochemical basis of resistance in selected brinjal entries, against sucking insect pests including whitefly, jassid and others. Therefore, it was needed to conduct the present investigations. Materials and Methods The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the susceptibility and resistance of different thirteen genotypes of brinjal against sucking pests at Vegetable Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad, Pakistan in randomized block designed with three replications in the plot size of 2 kanal with spacing of 90 x 50 cm during rabi season of the year 2014. Brinjal seedlings of respective genotypes (CHHOTU, JHANSI F1, GALINE F1, AB-317, SHAMLI, BLACK PEARL, TWINKLE STAR, DIL, VRIB-2013, ADVANTA-314, KHBR-201A, KHBR-