Innovative strategies for the management of bitter gourd mosaic virus

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Vegetable Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, Gujarat, during the Kharif seasons of 2019-20 to 2021-22 to find out innovative strategies for the management of bitter gourd mosaic virus. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with seven treatments and four replications. The treatments included various combinations of biocontrol agents, pesticides, and cultural practices aimed at managing the mosaic disease in bitter gourd caused by begomoviruses. The highest net realization of Rs. 1,38,194/- was observed in treatment T6, which involved spraying of Acephate 75% WP and neem oil, followed by Pyriproxyfen. This treatment effectively reduced mosaic disease incidence (9.26%) and significantly improved marketable fruit yield (180.35 q/ha). Among other treatments, T5 (rotational spray of biocontrol agents and pesticides) also showed promising results with a mosaic incidence of 13.24% and a yield of 163.48 q/ha. In contrast, the control treatment (T7) recorded the highest mosaic incidence (43.69%) and the lowest marketable fruit yield (79.79 q/ha). Overall, combination of barrier crops, mulching, sticky yellow traps, and spraying of Acephate 75% WP @ 0.15% (2 g/l) + Neem oil 1500 ppm (0.15 EC) @ 0.2% (1.5 ml/l) followed by Pyriproxyfen 10% EC @ 0.01% (1 ml/l) at 10 days interval starting from 15 days of plant emergence (T6) was found to be the most effective and economical treatment for managing mosaic disease and enhancing the marketable yield of bitter gourd.