Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF STEINERNEMA CARPOCAPSAE WITH INSECTICIDE AND BIO-PESTICIDES AGAINST SPODOPTERA LITURA INFECTING BRINJAL

Pushpa, A.U. Siddiqui, B.S. Chandrawat, S.S. Bhati and Khushbu Sen

Abstract

An experiment was conducted under pot condition to find out the combined effect and comparative efficacy of Steinernema carpocapsae with insecticide and bio-pesticides against tobacco caterpillar infecting brinjal. One half and one fourth of recommended dose of pesticides (Cypermethrin, spltNPV and NSKE) with 25000 IJs of S. carpocapsae per plant were inoculated and the per cent mortality was recorded every day after spraying up to 10 days. Results showed that splt NPV, NSKE and Cypermethrin alone at one half doses each caused less mortality of S. litura viz. 40, 40 and 55 per cent, respectively, than when combined with EPN’s (95%). The experimental results revealed that maximum (95.0) per cent mortality was observed within 5 days after spraying with combination of 25000 IJs of S. carpocapsae and one half dose of Cypermethrin, while individually they caused 75 and 55 per cent mortality, respectively. After 6 days of spraying 30 and 80 per cent mortality was observed at one half dose of NSKE and 25000 IJs alone, while it was 95 per cent in combination. 95 per cent mortality also observed with combined application of one half dose of spltNPV and 25000 IJs within 7 days after spraying, while EPN’s alone caused 85 per cent mortality and no mortality was observed by spltNPV alone after 5 days. Thus, from present investigation, it is advocated that combinations of NSKE, spltNPV and Cypermethrin with S. carpocapsae were more effective against S. litura than individual application.