PENGARUH PENGGUNAAN BEBERAPA MULSA TERHADAP SERANGAN ULAT BAWANG Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) PADA TANAMAN BAWANG MERAH (Allium ascalonicum) DI DESA BOLU POUNTU JAYA KECAMATAN SIGI BIROMARU KABUPATEN SIGI

The purpose study was to determine the effect of various kinds of mulch on the infestation of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in onion crops. This research was conducted in the onion crop in the Bolu Pountu Jaya village, Sigi Biromaru Regency, Sigi Subdistric from January to March 2014. The study was using a randomized complete block design which consists of 4 treatments namely: without mulch (P0), rice straw mulch 4,5 kg/plot (P1), cocoa husk mulch 4,5 kg/plot (P2) and plastic mulch (P3). Observation variables consist of pest attack rate, crops height and production. The results showed that the mulching treatment have a significant effect of attack intensity of S.exigua on onion crop, but has no effect on crop height and production. Onion crops that grown without using a mulch have a high rate attack from pest than the onion without mulching. Key Words : Onion, mulch, Spodoptera exigua