Bio-efficacy of botanical, microbial and newer insecticides in management of tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) in Varanasi region

Among the various treatments, indoxacarb 14.5% SC @ 70 g a.i./ha was found best effective treatment against fruit borer recording per cent reduction over control of 54.00, 78.08 and 79.23 followed by chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 30 g a.i./ha (26.27, 70.69 and 74.90%), flubendiamide 39.35% SC @ 48 g a.i./ha (41.91, 68.00 and 72.38%) and lambda cyhalothrin 5% EC @15 g a.i./ha (36.16, 62.49 and 67.14%), respectively during rabi season of 2017–18. During 2018–19 again indoxacarb 14.5% SC was found best effective recording per cent reduction over control of 65.98, 77.24 and 69.11 followed by chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC (56.65, 72.22 and 62.35%), flubendiamide 39.35% SC (52.16, 62.46 and 58.39%) and lamda cyhalothrin 5% EC (43.52, 66.80 and 55.24%), respectively. Lowest per cent reduction over control was recorded in Imidacloprid 17.8% SL followed by NSKE 5% during both the year of study. The maximum fruit yield (410 and 388 q/ha) was recorded in indoxacarb 14.5% SC followed by flubendiamide 39.35% SC (384 and 372 q/ha) and chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC (370 and 361 q/ha) and lowest in NSKE 5% (292 and 280 q/ha) and B. bassiana (298 and 271 q/ha). The highest cost benefit ratio of 4.98:1 and 6.26:1 was obtained from flubendiamide 39.35% SC during both the year of study.