Vol. 12, Special Issue 9 (2023)

Author(s):
Cheitanya Raj and Ashwani Kumar

Abstract:
In the recent field experiment conducted during the 2022-23 rabi season, various insecticides were rigorously evaluated against the brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB) under authentic field conditions. The treatments, namely Spinosad 45 SC (0.5 ml/l), Emamectin benzoate 5 SG (0.4 gm/L), Dimethoate 30 EC (2 ml/L), Verticillium Lecanii (5 gm/L), Neem oil 5% (5 ml/L), Thiodicarb 75WP (2 gm/L), Flubendiamide 480 SC (0.3 ml/L), were meticulously administered twice, with a precisely timed fifteen-day interval, commencing from the initial occurrence of BSFB infestation. The meticulously gathered data distinctly illustrated that the treatment involving Spinosad remarkably exhibited the lowest mean shoot infestation rate, standing at 11.53%. Subsequently, Flubendiamide closely followed with a recorded rate of 12.06%, and Emamectin benzoate showed a rate of 14.04%. Thiodicarb and Dimethoate exhibited infestation rates of 15.42% and 16.16% respectively, while Verticillium Lecanii and Neem oil displayed rates of 18.44% and 20.99% respectively. Furthermore, Spinosad also demonstrated exceptional efficacy in curbing fruit infestation, registering an impressively low rate of 11.39%, along with yielding the highest quantity of marketable fruits at 230.13q/ha. Following closely were Flubendiamide and Emamectin benzoate. Economically, Spinosad 45 SC proved to be the most prudent choice, displaying the highest cost-benefit ratio at 1:5.52. This was followed by Flubendiamide 480 SC (1:5.03), Emamectin benzoate 5 SG (1:4.62), Thiodicarb 75 WP (1:4.37), Dimethoate 30 EC (1:3.51), Verticillium Lecanii (1:3.44), and Neem oil 5% (1:2.50), when juxtaposed with the untreated control plot (1:1.92). These findings not only underscore the efficacy of Spinosad in managing BSFB but also emphasize its economic viability in brinjal cultivation.