Laboratory evaluation of botanicals for their repellence and toxicity to bitter gourd gall midge Lasioptera bryoniae Schiner and safety to its parasitoids

Among the treatments used higher degree of repellence was observed in neem seed extract (NSE) (5%), horticultural mineral oil (HMO) (0.5%) and neem oil 3% which also showed minimum egg laying of 4.33, 5 and 7 eggs per gall respectively. In toxicity studies maximum mortality of 80.67% was recorded 96 HAT in azadirachtin 5% at 0.2% concentration which was statistically significant and superior to all other treatments. The next best treatment which recorded mortality of 54.38% was azadirachtin 5% at 0.1% concentration. The effect of bioagents on A. diplosidis mortality studied through dry film method indicated that all the treatments were safe to the adults of A. diplosidis. A maximum mortality of A. diplosidis (10.0%) was noted in azadirachtin 5% at 0.2% concentration followed by 3.33% noted in 0.1% concentration of azadirachtin 5%. The other treatments showed no mortality of A. diplosidis adults up to 48 HAT.