Assessing potentiality of a safer approach to manage brinjal fruit and shoot borer

Effectiveness of a safer management strategy for brinjal fruit and shoot borer was assessed. It was compared with sustainable standard methods as well as treated check (farmers’ practice). the safer treatment was effective as well as economic. refuge planting, repellent crops (coriander and holy basil) and pheromone traps were utilized in the study to deter arrival of the borer adults as well as its population establishment in the main field. Components like phytosanitation, trapping, net barrier and plant extracts reduced the field population density and subsequent damage of the pest as well as requirement of synthetic pesticides. The sustainable treatments closely followed the safer treatment (neem oil @ 4 ml/l at 30 and 35 days after transplanting (DAT) + emamectin benzoate @ 12 g ai/ha at 50, 90 days and 150 DAT + spinosad @ 80 g ai/ha at 71 and 126 DAT) and were also superior to treated check in terms of efficacy, safety and cost-benefit. treated check with high quantity of synthetic pesticides was statistically at par with sustainable treatments in terms of damage and yield but adversely affected the natural enemies and visiting bees.