Efficacy of botanicals and biopesticides against foliage feeding aphids in wheat

A field study was carried out during rabi 2013–14 to 2014–15 at the Experimental farm of Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana to determine the efficacy of promising entomopathogenic fungi and botanicals against wheat aphid. The entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae 1.15% WP @ 4g/l was found to be the most effective with the least opulation of 18.03, 13.13, 5.93 and 11.00 aphids/shoot/plant at 1, 2, 7 and 15 days after spraying, respectively. The next effective was of Verticillium lecanii 1.15% WP @ 4 g/l with population of 14.20, 8.67 and 11.33 aphids/shoot/plant after 2, 7 and 15 days after spraying, respectively. There was no significant difference as regards yield, however the highest yield of 47.79q/ha was obtained with Metarhizium anisopliae 1.15% WP @ 4g/l followed by Verticillium lecanii 1.15% WP @ 4g/l (46.62q/ha).