Efficacy of different botanical and synthetic insecticides on red pumpkin beetle (Aulacophora foveicollis) in bitter gourd

Abstract

Red pumpkin beetle Aulacophora foveicollis (Lucas) is a serious pest of pumpkin in Peshawar. Efficient control of A. foveicollis may utilize more than one control strategy. Efficacy of two synthetic (Malathion and Monocrotophos) and two botanical (Neem-seed crude extract and Parthenium plant extract) insecticides on three varieties of pumpkin was determined against A. foveicollis on pumpkin at the New Developmental farm (NDF) of the University of Agriculture Peshawar (UAP) during 2009. The results revealed that Monocrotophos and Malathion yielded lowest number of beetles with 0.05 and 0.07, 0.16 and 0.17, 0.19 and 0.19 beetles/m 2 , respectively after 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd chemical application. The botanical insecticides were partially effective in reducing the pest population. In control the pest population remained significantly higher than all the treatments throughout the growing period of crop. Pumpkin yield was highest in Malathion treatment with 19127 kg/ha while lowest in control with 4263 kg/ha. Swati (13815 kg/ha) and Bannu (13376 kg/ha) varieties yielded significantly higher than Kabli (12280 kg/ha) varieties. The present results might be useful in devising an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy against A. foveicollis on pumpkin in Peshawar.