Journal of Biological Control

8-14

Authors: D. Adhikari, S. L. Joshi, R. B. Thapa, V. Pandit, D. R. Sharma

Fruit fly is one of the important insect pests of horticultural crops, both fruits and vegetables. After aphids, fruit fly was reported as a major insect problem in the plant clinic sessions from September 2013 to July 2016 in Nepal. The groups of horticultural crops most affected by fruit flies were cucurbitaceous vegetables, i.e. 79% of all fruit fly queries (bitter gourd, bottle gourd, chayote, cucumber, pumpkin, snake gourd, sponge gourd and squash) followed by fruits 14% (guava, sweet orange, mandarin, mango, peach, and pomegranate) and solanaceous vegetables 6% (brinjal, chillies and tomato). The fruit fly management measures, such as use of para-pheromone lure/traps, sanitation and cultural measures were mostly referred in plant clinics by plant doctors of Nepal. The availability of para-pheromone lures/traps as well as technical know-how of application focusing integrated management measures should be adopted to manage fruit fly in horticultural crops with the least disruption to the environment and human health.

26-29

Authors: A. Sravika, A. N. Shylesha, K. S. Jagadeesh, T. M. Shivalingaswamy, N. Nagaraju, M. S. Sheshshayee

Studies on the biology and feeding potential of Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff) on Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) were carried out at NBAIR, Bengaluru. Experimental results revealed that the total developmental period from egg to adult for male and female were 27.92±2.87 and 39.62±3.28 d, respectively. The life cycle of male and female passed through first, second, third, fourth and fifth nymphal instars (male: 2.42±0.51 d, 3.25±0.45 d, 3.25±0.45 d, 4.00±0.60 d, 4.42±0.51 d) and (female: 2.54±0.52 d, 3.46±0.52 d, 4.00±0.71 d, 4.38±0.65 d, 5.08±0.49 d), respectively. Total nymphal period is about 17.83±1.34 d for male and 19.46±1.20 days for female, respectively. Adult longevity of male is lower (10.25±2.96 d) compared to that of female (20.15±3.39 d). The premating period and mating period of adult E. furcellata was 2.33±0.50 days and 6.44±2.24 hrs, respectively. The pre-oviposition period, oviposition period of adult female was 2.89±0.60 and 11.22±1.72 days, respectively. The average number of eggs laid by the female was 209.29±28.11 in a single mated system. Egg incubation period was about 5.42±0.51 days. The predation rates of second, third, fourth, fifth instar nymphs, adult female and male on 2nd, 4th, 6th instar prey of E. furcellata were (16 ±0.95, 27 ±4.06, 55±4.67, 68 ±5.41, 126 ± 4.76, 97 ± 2.85), (7±1.34, 24±2.77, 40±3.39 45±0.71, 88±1.37, 51±1.60) and (4±0.82, 9±1.64, 21±2.81, 38±1.03, 69±1.32, 36±2.73), respectively.

37-42

Authors: Jaswinder Kaur, Pradyumn Kumar, S. B. Suby, J. C. Sekhar, Anjali Upadhyaya, J. K. Bana, S. R. Yadav

The incidence of egg and larval parasitoids of Chilo partellus was monitored in insecticide free maize fields at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, for three Kharif seasons of 2013 to 2015. The hymenopteran parasitoid, Trichogramma sp. was recorded to be the only egg parasitoid in this area, while a good number of larvae were parasitized by braconid, Cotesia flavipes. The egg parasitism was recorded on the freshly laid eggs of stem borer obtained by artificially releasing the adults of C. partellus on maize cultivars, HQPM1 and PMH1, at 12 days after germination. There was no egg parasitism recorded during Kharif 2013 and 2014, whereas 5.6 percent egg-mass parasitism by Trichogramma sp. was recorded during Kharif, 2015. The larval parasitoids were monitored by artificially infesting the maize plants with neonates of laboratory reared C. partellus. The larvae were allowed to develop on maize plants under field conditions for 20 days. The plants showing stem borer damage were cut and brought to the laboratory. The larvae collected from infested maize plants were reared in the laboratory. The maggots of C. flavipes recovered from parasitized larvae ranged from 29-100, 41-50 and 20-80 percent during Kharif 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. The result of this study indicated that parasitism by Cotesia was influenced by age of plants damaged by C. partellus. The young maize plants seemed to be more attractive to the foraging of Cotesia and more stem borer larvae were parasitized on these plants as the maximum (58 percent) parasitism was observed at 40-day-old crop. The parasitoid was found to be active on maize from 40-60 days after germination and the incidence decreased thereafter. Insecticides should not be used during this period. The current studies also revealed that host densities had no significant effect on percentage parasitism by Cotesia.

47-51

Authors: M. Visalakshi , B. Bhavani

Studies on effect of inundative releases of Trichogramma chilonis in sugarcane revealed that the frequency and rate of T. chilonis release had played a significant role in the management of sugarcane shoot borers. Early shoot borer and internode borer incidence was low in T. chilonis @ 75,000/ha/release, 6 times (6.54% and 2.27% ; 3.92% and 5.85%) followed by T. chilonis @ 50,000/ha/release, 6 times (7.9% and 4.26%) whereas untreated control recorded high incidence of early shoot borer and internode borer (10.94% and 15.95 %; 5.12% and 18.25 %) during 2015 and 2016. The sustainability of inundative releases of T. chilonis with highest per cent field recovery was recorded in T. chilonis release @75,000/ha/release, 6 times during monsoon period (68.63% and 20% ) and post monsoon period (29.55% and 37.59 %) as compared to pre monsoon period (12.1% and 9.27 %) of 2015 and 2016. Cane yields recorded in plant crop, 2015 (52.42 t/ha) and ratoon crop, 2016 (47.95 t/ha) revealed that high rate of T. chilonis @ 75,000/ha/release resulted in increased yields (21.77 % and 24.64 %) over untreated control.

59-65

Authors: S.K. Ghosh , T. Nataraj , Usha Nandini , Asha

Biofumigation is a benign method to control soil-borne pathogens. The scope of the current research was to develop an effective formulation of Allyl Iso-Thio-Cyanate (AITC), commonly called volatile mustard oil and to evaluate its impact on suppression of soil-borne pathogens in capsicum cultivation grown under poly-house condition. After extensive research Multiplex biotech has developed a suspension concentrate formulation for biofumigation of soil based on an extraction of brassica enzyme called AITC and defatted mustard seed meal powder which could support both soil-sterilization and boosting soil fertility. A completely randomized trial was carried out on capsicum (Capsicum annum) grown under polyhouse (one acre) condition has shown that the application of this formulation as pre-planting treatment of soil @ 500ml/acre through drip irrigation under mulched condition was found to be an effective method to suppress the soil-borne fungal pathogens (70-80%) like Sclerotium rolfsii, Fusarium sp., bacterial pathogens (50-60%) like Ralstonia sp., Xanthomonus sp. and root knot nematodes (60-70%). In addition, it also complemented biocontrol activity of microbial antagonist like Trichoderma viride and Pseudomonas fluorescens, introduced as a treatment in the biofumigated plot after a gap of 6 days of Biofumigation. Improved plant growth (>18-20%), increased number of leaves/plants, early flowering and better yield (>22-33%) was recorded in the treatment where both T. viride and P. fluorescens were introduced as post fumigation treatment. This was followed by only biofumigated plot whereas in the non-fumigated plot disease incidences recorded was highest (43-45% more). Highest yield (46 tons/acre) was recorded in the plot where biopesticide was treated after Biofumigation followed by only biofumigated plot (37 tons/acre) and as compared to non-fumigated plot (28 tons/acre) which recorded the lowest yield.

73-81

Authors: Sarswati Negi , P. L. Sharma , S. C. Verma , R. S. Chandel

The present study deals with the impact of temperature on development, survival, reproduction and population growth of a recently invaded and the most destructive pest of tomato, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) with the aim to understand its possible expansion in different agro-climatic zones. Though T. absoluta was able to develop between 15° and 35°C, temperature around 25°-30°C was more suitable. Survival and fecundity were highest at 25°C and lowest at 35°C. Developmental threshold for different developmental stages of the pest varied from 6.2 to 9.5°C, while the thermal constant required by the insect to complete the development from egg to adult emergence was 500 degree-days. Population growth parameters were also influenced significantly by the rearing temperature. Intrinsic rate of increase, net reproductive rate and finite rate of increase was higher at 25° and 30°C as compared to other temperature regimes. The study concludes that T. absoluta can be a serious pest of tomato in mid-hills of north-western Himalayan region and the southern plains of India where temperatures varies between 15-35°C. Furthermore, the developmental threshold values indicate that the pest can develop and survive at temperatures as low as 6-9°C without entering the diapause as long as the food is available.

86-89

Authors: V. Abdul Rasheed, S. R. Koteswara Rao, K. Sreedevi, B. Bhaskar, T. R. Ashika, T. Venkatesan, S. K. Jalali

The occurrence of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in maize fields of Tirupati region, Andhra Pradesh is herewith reported. Field surveys in maize fields revealed that the rove beetle, Paederus fuscipes Curtis (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) was found predating the larvae of fall armyworm and this is the first report of P. fuscipes on fall armyworm from India. The species identity of both fall armyworm and the rove beetle was confirmed through molecular studies by amplifying cytochrome oxidase I gene (CO1) and DNA barcoding.