Evaluation of biopesticides against fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda in maize during kharif season

With the basic principle of integrated pest management (IPM) and searching for effective and sustainable alternatives for the management of Spodoptera frugiperda, different biopesticides were evaluated at Main Agricultural Research Station (MARS), UAS Raichur, Karnataka during Kharif 2019 cropping season. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications and seven treatments. Biopesticides such as Metarhizium rileyi @ 4 g l⁻¹, SfNPV (@ 2 ml l⁻¹) and Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (@ 2 ml l⁻¹) were found to be the best treatments in reducing the larval population and percent leaf damage compared to untreated control at five and seven days after two sprays. The yield and cost economics also showed that they were economically viable biopesticides.