Comparative Efficacy of Botanical Pesticides against Sucking Insect Pests of Mustard Crop

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at experimental field of Entomology Section, Agriculture Research Institute, Tandojam during the season 2018-19. Maximum reduction in thrips population (30.3%) was observed in plot sprayed with neem seed extract followed by plot sprayed with neem oil (24.47%), tobacco extract (22.00%) and akk plant extract (19.83). Neem seed extract showed higher efficacy (81.01%) against thrips population on mustard crop followed by neem oil (66.13%), tobacco extract (58.20%) and akk plant extract (53.12%). Maximum reduction in whitefly population (13.00%) was observed in plot sprayed with neem seed extract followed by plot sprayed with neem oil (10.33%), tobacco extract (9.50%) and akk plant extract (7.33%). Neem seed extract showed higher efficacy (88.67%) against whitefly population on mustard crop followed by neem oil (80.51%), tobacco extract (79.16%) and akk plant extract (64.69%). Maximum reduction in aphid population (14.33%) was observed in plot sprayed with neem seed extract followed by plot sprayed with neem oil (11.10%), tobacco extract (10.23%) and akk plant extract (9.60%). Neem seed extract showed higher efficacy (87.75%) against aphid population on mustard crop followed by neem oil (76.02%), tobacco extract (71.38%) and akk plant extract (68.57%). Maximum reduction in painted bug population (8.67%) was observed in plot sprayed with neem seed extract followed by plot sprayed with neem oil (8.00%), tobacco extract (7.66%) and akk plant extract (6.76%). Neem seed extract showed higher efficacy (83.93%) against painted bug population on mustard crop followed by neem oil (77.44%), tobacco extract (71.85%) and akk plant extract (67.60%). Maximum crop yield (22 kg/plot) were recorded when the neem seed extract was sprayed on mustard crop; followed by average crop yield of 20 and 18/plot when the mustard crop were sprayed with neem oil and tobacco extract, respectively. However, the lower crop yield (18 kg/plot) was noticed when the mustard crop were sprayed with akk plant extract. The control plots resulted in lowest crop yields of 10 kg/ plot. It was concluded that neem seed extract ranked 1st in reduction of the thrips, whitefly, aphid and painted bug population followed by neem oil ranked 2nd, tobacco extract ranked 3rd and akk plant extract ranked 4th in reduction of pests population. Maximum efficacy against thrips, whitefly, aphid and painted bug population was counted in plot sprayed with neem seed extract followed by neem oil, tobacco extract and akk plant extract. Moreover, the pests population remained constant in un-treated (control) plot throughout the experiment