Biorational management of major pests of brinjal

Field experiments were carried out in brinjal during summer and kharif, 2013 to evaluate the efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana (talc formulation @ 5 gm/L), M. anisopliae and B. bassiana (potato dextrose broth @10⁷ spores/ml), Bt formulation @ 1 ml/L, spinosad 45 SC @ 0.4 ml/L, Azadirachtin 1% @ 2 ml/L and Malathion 50 EC @ 2 ml/L against Leucinodes orbonalis, Epilachna vigintioctopunctata, Antoba olivacea and Selepa docilis. Spinosad 45 SC was found to be effective in reducing shoot and fruit infestation by L. orbonalis. Azadirachtin 1% was found to be most effective in controlling leaf infestation by E. vigintioctopunctata. Bt formulation was highly effective for early larval instars of A. olivacea. However, for later instars, malathion 50 EC was found to be effective. Azadirachtin 1% was found to be highly effective against S. docilis during summer and kharif.