SEASONAL INCIDENCE AND FIELD EFFICACY OF INSECTICIDES AGAINST SHOOT AND FRUIT BORER, EARIAS VITTELLA (FAB.) ON OKRA (ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS L.)

The present field experiment was conducted during kharif season of year 2011 at Agriculture Research Farm, Department of Plant Protection, SHIATS Allahabad, U.P. (India) to study seasonal incidence and evaluate the efficacy of insecticides against shoot and fruit borer, Earias vittella (Fab.) on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.). The result revealed that shoot and fruit borer incidence on fruits started from fourth week of August on 5-week-old plants and continued until fourth week of October on 14-week-old plants. The highest population of Earias vitella was observed in the third week of September. Bright sunshines hours, maximum and minimum temperature showed non significant positive effect, whereas relative humidity and rainfall showed a negative non significant and significant influence on Earias vitella, respectively. All the treatments were found to be superior over the untreated control. The result revealed that Cypermethrin 25 EC @ 0.05 per cent was found to be most effective in managing the fruit borer infestation on okra followed by Indoxacarb 14.05 SC @ 0.007 per cent and T 7 Spinosad 45 EC @ 0.015 per cent. The highest marketable fruit yield of okra (75.33q/ha) and incremental cost benefit ratio (1:16.49) was obtained from the treatment of Cypermethrin 25 EC @ 0.05 per cent. The most economically viable treatment followed by Acephate 75 SP @ 0.05 per cent (74.05 q/ha) and Spinosad 45 SC @0.015 per cent (72.66q/ha).