Studies on Screening of Different Varieties and Field Evaluation of Bioefficacy of Green Label Insecticides and Biopesticides Against Helicoverpa Armigera (Hubner) and Etiella Zinckenella (Treitschke) in Field pea

Abstract

The present investigation entitled “Studies on screening of different varieties and field evaluation of bioefficacy of green label insecticides and biopesticides against Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and Etiella zinckenella (Treitschke) in Field pea” was carried out during Rabi, 2021-22 and 2022-23 at Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut (U.P.). During the crop season (Rabi, 2021-22 and 2022-23), fifteen species of insect-pests and three natural enemies were observed in field pea at different stages of crop growth. Among these pea pod borer, Etiella zinckenella (Treitschke) and gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner), were recorded as major insect-pests while nine others were categorized as minor insect pests viz., stem fly, aphid, bean aphid, tobacco caterpillar, semilooper, army worm, leaf miner, surface grass hopper, and blue butterfly. The remaining four insect pests like whitefly, cutworm, green peach aphid, and termites were occasional visitors and were considered as ‘stray’. Sixteen varieties of field pea were screened for their relative resistance against H. armigera and E. zinckenella. Out of these two varieties viz., TRCP 9 and IPF 99-25 were found with minimum pod infestation of 9.15 and 7.95 per cent, respectively categorized as resistant (R) against H. armigera and one variety TRCP 8 was found highly resistant with minimum pod infestation of 4.18 per cent and eleven varieties viz., viz.,IPF 5-19, IPFD 10-12, IPFD 12-2, IPFD 11-5, IPFD 6-3, IPFD 12-8, IPFD 9-2, IPFD 13-2, IPFD 1-10, IPFD 14-2, and IPFD 99-13 were observed with pod infestation of 13.56, 15.23, 14.62, 13.28, 14.00, 16.42, 17.28, 14.05, 13.11, 13.63 and 17.08 per cent, respectively and these genotypes classified as moderately resistant (R) against H. armigera during both the consecutive years i.e. Rabi, 2021-22 and 2022-23. Among all the 16 varieties, one variety viz., IPF 16-13 (24.10 per cent pod damage) found moderately susceptible and no variety was found susceptible with respect to pod damage against H. armigera and E. zinckenella. Ten morphological parameters viz., plant height, days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, number of pods per plant, number of primary branches per plant, Number of seeds per pod, pod trichome density, pod length, pod width, pod wall thickness etc. were assessed and correlated with pod borer population and pod damage against major pod borers viz., H. armigera and E. zinckenella. Most of them showed negative significant correlation with pod damage and negative non-significant and positive non-significant correlation with mean larval population. The H. armigera larval population attended its peak (14.66 and 12.66 larvae per ten plants) on third week of February (8th standard week) during Rabi, 2021-22 and 2022-23 and E. zinckenella larval population reached its peak (14.33 and 14.70 larvae per ten plants) on 8th standard week (third week of February) during both the years. Among all the treatments, chlorantraniliprole 18.5% EC @ 0.3 ml/l water was found most effective in reducing the larval population of H. armigera and E. zinckenella with 1.50 and 2.34 larvae per ten plants and followed by flubendiamide 39.35% EC @ 0.15 ml/l water with 1.84 and 2.67 larvae per ten plant, respectively. The highest larval population of H. armigera and E. zinckenella was recorded in untreated control with 14.50 and 15.33 larvae per ten plants, respectively. Among all the treatments, chlorantraniliprole 18.5% EC @ 0.3 ml/l water was observed best with mínimum pod infestation of 7.78 and 13.51 per cent against H. armigera and E. zinckenella, respectively. The effect of various green label insecticides and biopesticides on natural enemies population (spiders, coccinellids and lace wings) showed that the nimbicidine (0.03%) @ 5.00 ml/l. water was found most safe treatment against spiders population, adults of C. septempunctata and C. carnea with 3.00, 4.67 and 2.92 per ten plants and followed by Bt var. kurstaki 0.5% WP @ 2g/l water with 3.17, 2.20 and 3.09 per ten plants, respectively. The flubendiamide 39.35% EC @ 0.15 ml/l. water was found highly toxic treatment against natural enemies population. The maximum grain yield of 11.69 q/ha was recorded in the plots treated with chlorantraniliprole 18.5% EC @ 0.3 ml/l water and mínimum grain yield was found in untreated control with 4.23 q/ha. The maximum incremental cost benefit ratio (1:15.30) was recorded in the treatment flubendiamide 39.35% EC @ 0.15 ml/l. water and minimum ICBR of 1:1.70 was found in the treatment Bt var. kurstaki 0.5% WP @ 2g/l water