Efficacy of some insecticides against green leaf hopper, Nephotettix virescens distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and brown plant hopper, Nilaparvata lugens stal (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) in rice with safety to natural enemies

Studies revealed that mean reduction in GLH was 88.14 to 68.56% and BPH was 85.04 to 73.96% due to protectants used over untreated control. The order of efficacy was shown as flonicamid > buprofezin > thiamethoxam > acephate > tolfenpyrad > imidacloprid > acetamiprid > azadirachtin. Post spray population of mirid bug and spider was close to control for most treatments except acephate and tolfenpyrad. Safety study revealed that acephate and tolfenpyrad were moderately harmful, while flonicamid was slightly harmful and remaining molecules were harmless to egg parasitoid T. japonicum. The highest mean yield (70.99 q/ha) and extra profit (Rs. 15,930/ha) was obtained in flonicamid followed buprofezin (70.69 q/ha and Rs. 15,390/ha) and thiamethoxam (70.02 q/ha and Rs. 14,175/ha). But the incremental benefit cost ratio was maximum in thiamethoxam (4.35) followed by flonicamid (3.60) and buprofezin (3.51).