Efficacy of Different Insecticides and Eco-friendly Approaches for the Management of Okra Shoot and Fruit Borer, Earias vittella (Fabricius)

Abstract

Field investigations were conducted during Kharif 2022 and 2023, it aims to evaluate the efficacy of insecticides and biopesticides against okra shoot and fruit borer. Earias vittella on okra variety Prabhani Kranti at the Student’s Instructional Farm (SIF), Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Pre-treatment (1 Day Before Spraying) observations indicated uniform pest incidence with non-significant variation among treatments. In the pooled analysis, all insecticidal treatments significantly reduced shoot and fruit infestation compared to the untreated control. Among the insecticides, Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC (0.3 ml/L) was most effective, consistently recording the lowest shoot damage (overall mean 1.35% and 0.96% with 79.82–82.40% Overall Reduction Over Control) and fruit damage on both number basis (1.33% and 1.50% with 77.29–79.92% ROC) and weight basis (1.01% and 1.14% with 83.08–84.96% overall ROC) after first and second sprays, respectively. Spinosad 45% SC (0.2 ml/L) and Thiamethoxam 25% WG (0.2 g/L) followed closely and remained at par with Chlorantraniliprole across both sprays, while Imidacloprid 17.8% SL and Fipronil 5% SC exhibited moderate efficacy. Among biopesticides, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki emerged superior, reducing shoot damage (3.79% and 3.15%) and fruit damage (3.88–4.52% by number; 3.01–3.45% by weight) with moderate ROC values (33–55%) and was at par with Beauveria bassiana. Other biopesticides such as Azadirachtin 1500 ppm, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Lecanicillium lecanii showed comparatively lower suppression with overall ROC mostly below 40%. Untreated plots consistently recorded the highest shoot and fruit damage across years. Overall, Chlorantraniliprole, Spinosad, and Thiamethoxam were the most effective insecticides, while Bacillus thuringiensis was the best-performing biopesticide under field conditions.