Vol. 12, Issue 3 (2023)

Author(s):
Khasru Alam, Yallappa Harjan, Zhazo Kire, Harish Babu CM, Kishor Kumar and Amardev Singh

Abstract:
Among different insect pests causing damage to mulberry, whitefly (Dialeuropora decempuncta) a Homopteran insects belonging to the family Aleyrodidae cause leaf yield loss to the tune of 24%. Because of well known negative effect of chemical pesticides and possible problem of residual toxicity to silkworm biological control of mulberry pests may prove to be an ecologically benign way of producing good quality mulberry leaf while controlling the harmful insects and pests. The Indian green lacewing, Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi (Esben-Petersen) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) is well known generalist predator feeds on many insects like aphid mealy bug, thrips, whitefly etc. keeping all these facts in mind an experiment was undertaken to evaluate chrysoperla against mulberry whitefly. Freshly laid eggs, one day refrigerated eggs and first instar chrysopid larvae were used as treatment to evaluate its efficacy against whitefly under field conditions. Pre and post population count of whitefly/leaf was recorded before release of BCA and after 3, 7 and 10 days of second release. Among the treatment Chrysopid larvae was found to be the best with lowest population 8.28, 7.33 and 7.03/leaf respectively at 3, 7 and 10 DAR. Further population reduction at the rate of 41.69, 53.66 and 62.46% also recorded with chrysopid larvae treatment at 3, 7 and 10 DAR. Whereas population reduction with treatment of freshly laid eggs was 37.68, 52.81 and 60.84% respectively. Treatment of refrigerated eggs has provided lowest population reduction with 25.07, 38.09 and 49.84% respectively. There was significant difference between the population of whitefly compared to control with all the treatments however, among the treatments whitefly population load was only numerically different not statistically. The recorded data of the present study indicated that the whitefly populations on mulberry, in open fields, can be suppressed to some extent by the releases of Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi. However, predatory action of the biocontrol agent of the present study could be characterized as more preventive than curative.