Efficacy of Insecticides as Seed Treatment for The Management of White Grubs

Abstract

The efficacy of six insecticides namely chlorpyriphos 20 EC (5.0 ml/kg seed), imidacloprid 17.8 SL (5.0 ml/kg seed), clothianidin 50 WDG (3.5 g/kg seed), thiamethoxam 25 WG (3.5 g/kg seed), bifenthrin 10 EC (2.5 ml/kg seed) and chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (2.5 ml/kg seed) as seed treatment was tested against grubs of Melolontha indica Hope under laboratory conditions. Rajmash, Phaseolus vulgaris L. was used as test crop. The experiment was conducted in plastic trays filled with soil and farm yard manure (FYM) in 3:1 ratio. In each tray, ten third instar grubs of M. indica were released and 20 treated rajmash seeds were sown at a depth of about 5 centimeter. The results revealed that plants from chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (2.5 ml/kg seed) treated seeds registered least mortality (20.0 %), followed by chlorpyriphos 20 EC (5 ml/kg seed) (21.67 %) at 10 days after sowing (DAS). The grub mortality recorded in seeds treated with chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (2.5 ml/kg seed) and chlorpyriphos 20 EC (5 ml/kg seed) was 56.67 and 46.67 per cent, respectively at 20 DAS. Therefore, seed treatment with chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (2.5 ml/kg seed) could be another alternative in addition to chlorpyriphos 20 EC (5 ml/kg seed) for effective management of M. indica grubs infesting rajmash under field conditions in high hills of north western Himalaya.