For the non-IPM treatment, seedlings were transplanted into the prepared beds, with no fungicides applied to the seedlings prior to transplanting. For the IPM treatment, seedlings were dipped into a solution of T. harzianum at 4 g/L prior to transplanting. Seedlings from the nursery were transplanted into all fields in the first week of December, to minimize differences in timing of sowing the crop and variability in plant age, thus reducing variability in yield. Only
healthy seedlings (showing no symptoms of disease) were selected for transplanting. The cauliflower plants in both IPM and the non-IPM fields were grown under a similar agronomic schedule, but differed in pestmanagement inputs. After transplanting, plants in the non-IPM treatment received two sprays of the fungicide mancozeb 45 WP at 500 g a.i./ha to protect against A. brassicicola, and 4-5 sprays of either chlorpyrifos 20 EC at 200 g a.i./ha, endosulfan 35 C at 500 g
a.i./ha, or cypermethrin 10 EC at 200 g a.i./ha, to protect against aphids. For the IPM treatment, plants received one spray of mancozeb 45 WP at 500 g a.i./ha, and only need-based (>5 aphids per plant) treatments with azadirachtin (3000 ppm) at 5 ml/l water, and imidacloprid 17.8 EC at 20 g a.i./ha. Aphids colonizing the mustard trap crop were treated with methyl demeton 25 EC at 125 g a.i./ha to prevent them from spreading to the cauliflower. Pesticides were applied through power-operated backpack sprayer of 15-l capacity and the volume of water used was 330 l/ha in both IPM and non-IPM treatments. Transplanted plants were observed for insect infestation and plant disease. From each field, 100 cauliflower plants were examined for presence of Alternaria leaf spot at approximately 30-40 days after transplanting. Numbers of L. erysimi (both nymphs and adults) per plant were counted on 100 plants, 80-90 days after transplanting for all fields in both treatments. In addition, each year, the numbers of aphids per plant and numbers of C. septempunctata per plant were counted weekly, from the beginning of January until