Safety of newer insecticide fipronil 200 SC to natural enemies in the chilli ecosystem of Tamil Nadu

A field experiment on chilli were conducted to study the effect of newer insecticide Fipronil 200 SC to natural enemies of chilli pests at Narasipuram and Mathampati villages of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India during 2013-2014. Three foliar applications were carried out at an interval of seven days after the pest population reached the economic threshold levels. The result revealed that the mean population of coccinellids was found to be more in the untreated checks followed by fipronil 200 SC at 30 and 40 g a.i. ha-1 in the first, second and third spray of foliar application. The lower dose of fipronil 200 SC at 30 g a.i. ha-1 recorded the mean population of coccinellids as 8.91/ten plants, which was next to the untreated check (11.90/ten plants) in both field trials. Taking into consideration the bioefficacy and safety aspects of chemical insecticides tested here, the present investigation has arrived at a result that fipronil 200 SC can be considered as a good option for including as a component in the management of chilli sucking pests. Even though immediate killing was not noticed in the case of fipronil, the insecticide was proved to be potent on subsequent days of insecticidal treatment and also found safe to the natural enemies.