Bioefficacy of Chemical and Biorational Insecticides against Spotted Pod Borer, Maruca vitrata (Geyer) in Short Duration Pigeonpea

Experiments were conducted at National Pulses Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Vamban during kharif 2006 to study the efficacy of moncrotophos, γ-cyhalothrin, triazophos, profenophos, indoxacarb, bifenthrin, spinosad, endosulfan, novaluron, Bt and NSKE against spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Geyer) in short duration pigeonpea variety Aruppukkottai 1. First spraying was given at 50% flowering (80 DAS) and second 15 days later. Spraying of spinosad (0.045%) and indoxacarb (0.015%) attributed to higher yield and lesser larval incidence when compared to other treatments. Among biorationals, novaluron (0.01%) provided good protectton and registered significantly lesser incidence of Maruca larvae and higher yield over control. The effecttve control of M. vitrata was manifested with the marked increase in grain yields which were 1130.3, 1118.0, 1015.3, 982.0 and 965.7 kg ha−1 in spinosad, indoxacarb, γ-cyhalothrin, endosulfan and monocrotophos treatments, respectively, as against 401.0 kg ha−1 in untreated control. The extent of yield increase in these treatments was 240.8–281.8% over control.