Assessment of various management strategies implemented by farmers against Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) in maize

Abstract

Experiment on the effectiveness of various farming strategies were used to control S. frugiperda in maize during Kharif 2021 and Rabi 2022 at the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri. The experiment results showed that the standard check chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/l recorded the lowest larval population (0.85 larvae/plant) and leaf damage score (2.57). Neem seed powder at 2 g/whorl was most effective and significantly superior to the rest of farmer practices, with the larval population of 0.91 larvae/plant. The next effective treatments were lime @ 5 g/whorl, soil @ 5 g/whorl and sand @ 5 g/whorl in reducing larval population and leaf damage infesting S. frugiperda. The highest grain yield (64.01 q/ha) was registered by chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC followed by neem seed powder @ 2 g/whorl ((56.33 q/ha) and lime @ 5 g/whorl (47.40 q p/ha). The highest ICBR (1:3.66) was registered by chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC followed by wood ash (1:1.85).