Efficacy of Flubendiamide Against Fruit Borer, Helicoverpa armigera in Tomato with Safety to Natural Enemies

Field experiments conducted on relative efficacy of flubendiamide (24, 36 and 48g a.i.\ha) along with indoxacarb (75 g a.i \ha) and spinosad (75 g a.i l \ha) against Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) in tomato during 2005–06 and 2006–07 revealed that all the three insecticides were significantly superior to untreated control in reducing H. armigera infestation in tomato. However, Flubendiamide at 48g a.i \ha caused significantly higher reduction in the population of fruit borer larvae and recorded the lowest fruit damage than the remaining treatments during both the years of experimentation. The marketable yield recorded in flubendiamide @ 48g a.i \ha was also significantly higher than that recorded in other treatments. The insecticidal treatments did not cause adverse effect on the population of natural enemies and phytotoxicity to tomato crop.