EVALUATION OF PLANT POWDERS AGAINST PULSE BEETLE (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) INFESTING PEA SEEDS

Abstract

Seven plant powders viz. neem (Azadirachta indica J.), Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora L.), sweet flag (Acorus calamus L.), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus L.), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.), wild marigold (Tegetes minuta L.) and drek (Melia azadirachta L.) were used to coat the seeds @ 5, 3, and 1g /100g seeds. There were eight treatments including control. Sweet flag resulted in 64.49,84.44 and 98.89 per cent mortality of the pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis at the highest dose (5 g/100 g seeds) after 1,3 and 7 days of treatment, respectively. Neem was other highly effective product that accounted for 18.89, 42.22 and 63.33 per cent mortality of the beetle after the respective treatment intervals. Egg laying by females after one week of treatment was also the least in sweet flag followed by neem and eucalyptus treatment (6.33,10.67 and 28.33 eggs/5 females, respectively, at the lowest dose of 1g) as against 97.0 eggs/5 females in untreated control. The progeny development and survival was minimum (3.72,6.89 and 17.89 adults/ 5females) on pea seeds treated with sweet flag, neem and eucalyptus at the tested doses compared to 103.17 adults in untreated control.