Bio Efficacy of Botanicals against Major Insect Pests of Sesame

Abstract

The oldest oil seed crop in India is sesame, which is grown in semi-arid tropical, subtropical, and temperate climates. It is produced over an area of 17.14 million hectares, yielding 7.84 million tonnes, at a productivity of 457 kg/ha. The harm caused by insect pests is one of the main obstacles to sesame production. Shoot webber and capsule borer, Antigastra catalaunalis Duphonchel, and leafhopper, Orosius albicinctus Distant, are two of the insect pests of sesame that are regarded as being the most significant in terms of inflicting economic harm. In light of this, research was done to control sesame pests at Regional Research Station, Vriddhachalam in 2019–2020. The bioefficacy of botanicals, particularly pungam and neem products, in comparison to inorganic pesticide on pest insects that damage sesame was tested in the field. Azadirachtin 10000 ppm at 1.5 ml/lit, PODF at 1 ml, 2 ml, and 3 ml/lit, quinalphos 25 EC at 2 ml/lit, and untreated check were the treatments. Four times each of the six treatments were reproduced in a Randomised Block Design with a 5.4 × 4 m plot size. The study's findings showed that the lowest mean population of shoot webber was obtained by quinalphos 25 EC@ 2 ml/lit (0.91 no./plant), followed by azadirachtin 10000 ppm @ 1.5 ml/lit and PODF@ 3 ml/lit (1.03 &1.05 no./plant), in that order. The leaf hopper (1.15, 1.28, &1.33 no./plant, respectively) showed the similar pattern. Quinalphos 25 EC@ 2 ml/lit caused the least amount of plant damage (9%) followed by azadirachtin 10000 ppm @ 1.5 ml/lit (11.7%). Azadirachtin compared favourably to PODF@3 ml/lit. Instead than being used alone, botanicals should be properly incorporated into a management system.