Assessment of acaricides combination with fungicide against panicle mite, Steneotarsonemus spinki Smiley (Acari: Tarsonemidae) in rice at Nalgonda, Telangana

An on-farm trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of acaricides combined with fungicides against panicle mite in rice at farmer fields. The results revealed that, spraying with Dicofol 18.5 EC @ 5 ml/l + propiconazole 25 EC @ 1 ml/l at the time of panicle emergence and second with spiromesifen 22.9 SC @ 1 ml/l + propiconazole 25 EC @ 1 ml/l at 15 days after 1st spray. The per cent number of healthy grains was higher in demonstrations 75.3% per panicle as compared to farmers’ practice 69.3%. The percent number of discoloured grains, number of discoloured sterile spikelets, and number of normal sterile spikelets were lower in demonstrations at 20.5, 3.5 and 3.4% over the farmers’ practice 26.5, 5.1 and 9.2%, respectively during 1st and 2nd years. The highest paddy grain yield was recorded on demonstrations (7035.0 kg/ha) against farmers’ practice (6615.0 kg/ha). The demonstration plots recorded higher gross returns 1,21,205.0/ha, net returns 65,324.0/ha and benefit-cost ratio 2.4 as compared to farmers’ practice 1,01,120.0/ha, 51,980.0/ha and 1.8, respectively during the experimental period. The cost of cultivation was lower on demonstration of 51,550.0/ha against farmers’ practice of 55,650.0/ha. It was found that, spraying with Dicofol @ 5 ml/l + propiconazole @ 1 ml/l at the panicle initiation stage and spiromesifen @ 1 ml/l + propiconazole @ 1 ml/l at 15 days after 1st spray was reduced the panicle mite incidence in rice.