Comparative efficiency of certain indigenous plant extracts and a chemical pesticide against Amrasca devastans (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Abstract

The present research study on comparative efficiency of certain indigenous plant extracts and a chemical pesticide against Amrasca devastans (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) was carried out at New Developmental Farm (NDF), The University of Agriculture Peshawar, (34.01 °N, 71.53 °E) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan for two consecutive years i.e. 2012-13. During the course of experimentation, comparative efficacy of six different indigenous plants extracts i.e. Azadirachta indica oil, Azadirachta indica seed, Parthenium hysterophorus, Allium sativum, Datura alba and Curcuma longa in comparison with a chemical pesticide, emamectin benzoate were tested against jassids associated with sunflower Hysun-33. Following emamectin benzoate, D. alba was the most effective treatment in term of population suppression of jassids, which was followed by A. indica oil and A. indica seed extract. Highest incidence of the sucking pests was recorded on un-treated control plot indicated that plant derived extracts and oil have the potential to be used for the control of insect pests. The present results thus, concluded that the indigenous natural botanical extracts could prove the excellent substitute to commonly used chemical pesticides for the successful management of jassids on sunflower.