All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Pigeonpea, National Pulses Research Centre, Vamban Colony, Pudukkottai-622 303, Tamil Nadu, India.
Experiments on evaluation of Pigeonpea Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Module in comparison with the farmers’ practice were conducted with the variety Vamban 1 for three years from 2000-2002. Adoption of IPM module consisting of the components viz., early sowing (June 3rd week), setting up of pheromone traps against Helicoverpa armigera @ 12/ha, installing bird perches @ 50/ha using “T” shaped poles, mechanical collection and disposal of pod borer larvae and infested parts, use of bio-rational pesticides viz., Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE) 5% at 50% flowering, spraying of HaNPV @ 500LE/ha at early pod set and need based spraying of insecticides viz., dichlorvos 0.08% against flower webber, Maruca vitrata Geyer at flowering and chlorpyriphos 0.05% at podding against pod borer complex registered reduced pod borer (14.6-26.6%), pod wasp (1.8-3.0%) and pod fly (2.4-4.0%) damage as against the farmers’ practice viz., late sowing (July 3rd week), dusting with lindane 1.3 D @ 25 kg/ha at flowering and podding, which registered higher pod borer (24.3-38.6%), pod wasp (3.5-7.0%) and pod fly (6.00%) damage. The grain yield (362-530 kg/ha) and benefit cost ratio (1.73-1.91) were also higher in IPM plots compared to farmers’ practice (239 -410 kg/ha and 1.24-1.38 respectively).
