Efficacy of imidacloprid seed treatment for the control of leafhoppers and thrips in groundnut

The bio-efficacy of imidacloprid seed treatment against leafhopper and thrips of groundnut was studied during kharif (23^rd to 42^nd standard week) and summer (5^th to 23^rd standard week) cropping seasons of 2010 and 2011. The six different concentrations viz., 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 g a. i. kg⁻¹ were tested for their bio-efficacy. Amodified sweep net method was followed to record the leafhopper and thrips populations. Seed treatments with imidacloprid @ 2.0 to 5.0 g a. i. kg⁻¹ were found most effective in reducing the insect population. However, seed treatment with imidacloprid @ 2.0 g a. i. kg⁻¹ may be included in integrated pest management (IPM) package for groundnut from environmental safety point.