Bioefficacy of chlorantraniliprole (AC 01) 0.4% GR against Early Shoot Borer and Termites in Sugarcane

A field study was conducted using a randomized block design with six treatments, each replicated three times, at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, Andhra Pradesh to evaluate the efficacy of AC 01 (chlorantraniliprole) 0.4% GR, a formulation developed by NATCO Pharma Limited, Hyderabad against commercially available formulations of chlorantraniliprole 0.4G and fipronil 0.3G for the control of early shoot borer and termites in sugarcane. Treatments were applied at the time of planting and again at 40 days after planting (DAP). Observations on termite damage to setts were recorded at 30 DAP, while early shoot borer infestation was assessed at 30, 60, 90, and 120 DAP on a whole-plot basis. Yield-contributing parameters, juice sucrose content, and cane yield were recorded at harvest. The results demonstrated that soil application of AC 01 (0.4% GR) at 75 g a.i./ha at planting and again at 40 DAP significantly reduced termite damage (4.00%) and early shoot borer incidence (20.58% deadhearts), resulting in a higher cane yield (92.17 t/ha) compared to the untreated control (52.52% deadhearts; 19.91% termite incidence; 69.33 t/ha). The performance of AC 01(0.4%GR) was comparable to that of the market sample of chlorantraniliprole 0.4 GR (COVER) at 75g a.i./ha and fipronil 0.3 GR at 100g a.i./ha No phytotoxic effects were observed, even at four times the recommended dosage.