Evaluation of Insecticides and Plant Products for the Control of Insect Pests of Rainfed Upland Rice

The insecticides chlorpyrifos, isofenphos, carbofuran and carbosulfan, along with plant products from Begunia, Pokasunga, Karanja, Karada and neem as seed treatment, and carbofuran, endosulfan, lindane and phorate granules as furrow treatment were tested to control the insect pests of upland rice (gall midge, stem borer, mole cricket, ants, white grub and mealy bug) during 1980–84. All the insecticides tested as seed treatment @ 0.5 to 1.0 kg a.i./100 kg seed were found to be effective against gall midge and mole cricket and prevented ants from carrying away the sown seeds. A spray of quinalphos or oxydemeton-methyl (0.5 kg a.i./ha) at the heading stage, following carbofuran seed treatment offered effective control of stem borer and mealy bug, respetively. Furrow treatments with carbofuran or phorate granules (1.0 kg a.i./ha) also registered appreciable control of the pest complex and recorded higher grain yield in all the years. The plant products did not prove effective against insects infesting upland rice.