Efficacy of different biopesticides against major insect pests of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with 7 treatments replicated three times. The treatments comprised of T1 (Neem oil @ 5 ml/L), T2 (NSKE 5% @ 5 g/L), T3 (Dashparni ark @ 6 ml/L), T4 (Beauveria bassiana @ 4 g/L), T5 (Verticilium lecanii @ 4g/L) and T6 (Metarrhizium anisopliae @ 4 g/L) and along with untreated check during kharif season of 2019-2020. The observations on the effect of these biopesticidal treatments on thrips, mites, white fly and fruit borer were recorded. The biopesticides application at 25 & 45 days after transplanting showed that all the treatments were found effective against controlling major pest of chilli as compared to untreated control. The treatment with T1 (Neem oil @ 5 ml/L) was proved very effective in management of thrips followed by T2 (NSKE 5% @ 5 g/L) T5 (Verticilium lecanii @ 4 g/L) and T6 (Metarrhizium anisopliae @ 4 g/L), respectively. The similar trend was observed in case of whitefly and mite where T1 (Neem oil @ 5 ml/L) proved very effective in their management and at par with T2 (NSKE 5% @ 5 g/L) followed by treatment T5 (Verticilium lecanii @ 4 g/L) and was T6 (Metarrhizium anisopliae @ 4 g/L). In case of fruit borer T1 (Neem oil @ 5 ml/L) and T2 (NSKE 5% @ 5 g/L) proved to be the best treatments showing maximum reduction of larval population followed by T4 (Beauveria bassiana @ 4 g/L), T6 (Metarrhizum anisopliae @ 4 g/L), T5 (Verticilium lecanii @ 4 g/L) and T3 (Dashparni), respectively. In case of natural enemies the treatments T1 (Neem oil @ 5 ml/L), T2 (NSKE @ 5 ml/L) and T4 (Beauveria bassiana @ 4 g/L) were found to be safer treatments.