Bioefficacy of Some Newer Insecticides against Leaf Eating Caterpiller (Spodoptera litura Fab.) Infesting Soybean

The efficacy of some newer insecticides viz. chlothianidin 50 WG @ 250 g ha⁻¹, lambda cyhalothrin 5 EC @ 40 g ha⁻¹, spinosad 45 EC @ 187.5 mL ha⁻¹, indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 500 mL ha⁻¹, flubendiamide 480 SC @ 200 mL ha⁻¹, methomyl 40 SP @ 1 kg ha⁻¹, emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC @ 200 mL ha⁻¹ and thiodicarb 80 DP @ 400 mL ha⁻¹ against leaf eating caterpillar, Spodoptera litura infesting soybean during kharif 2013–14 is reported. Flubendiamide 480 SC @ 200 mL ha⁻¹ proved superior over rest of the treatments and recorded minimum population of S. litura (0.30 larva plant⁻¹). The next treatments in order of effectiveness were spinosad 45 SC (0.36 larva plant⁻¹), lambda cyhalothrin 5 EC (0.39 larva plant⁻¹), emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC (0.40 larva plant⁻¹), methomyl 40 SP (0.52 larva plant⁻¹), chlothianidin 50 WG (0.53 larva plant⁻¹), thiodicarb 80 DP (0.54 larva plant⁻¹) and indoxacarb 14.5 SC (0.55 larva plant⁻¹). Flubendiamide 480 SC was observed to be relatively safe to natural enemies.