Management of red pumpkin beetle (Aulacophora foveicollis L.) on sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica L.) through bio-pesticides in Bundelkhand region

Abstract

The investigation was worked at Organic Research Farm Karguan Ji, Department of Entomology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) during Kharif season of 2023. After the first spray of treatments the neem oil was found best effective to control the damage caused by the insect followed by Beavaria bassiana and Metarhizium anisople. And after the second spray the Beavaria bassiana was best effective after 3 days, 7 days and 14 days after spraying of treatments followed by Metarhizium anisople and neem oil. and after third spray Beavaria bassiana was best effective followed by Metarhizium anisople and neem oil, where the population of insect were reached at 0.74 beetle per plant in Beavaria bassiana treated plot. The highest yield found with 173.26 qt/hac under T2 Beauveria bassiana treated with plot followed by T4 Metarrhizium anisoplae and T7 neem oil treated plots. Rest of all treatments also performed significant yield production with different treated plots Whereas the maximum C; B ratio was obtained from T2 Beauveria bassiana that showed 1:1.84 ratio followed by T4 Metarrhizium anisoplae and T3 Verticillium laccani moreover all treatments showed significant cost benefit ratio where untreated plot showed 1:0.78 ratio and 102.36 qt/hac yield of sponge guard that is lowest among all plots.