Evaluation of biorational insecticides for the management of aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) on mustard

Introduction

Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is one of the major oilseed crops cultivated extensively in India. Among the various insect pests associated with mustard, the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.), is considered an important pest causing considerable damage to the crop. Both nymphs and adults feed by sucking sap from the plant, which adversely affects plant growth and flowering. The occurrence and multiplication of mustard aphid are also influenced by prevailing weather conditions, particularly temperature and relative humidity. Although chemical insecticides are commonly used for aphid management, their repeated application may lead to environmental and other associated problems. In this context, biorational insecticides, including microbial agents and botanical products, have gained importance as alternative pest management options. Microbial agents such as Beauveria bassiana and Verticillium lecanii, along with neem-based botanicals, have shown potential in suppressing aphid populations. Botanicals and microbial insecticides have also been reported as useful components of eco-friendly pest management in mustard. Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of selected biorational insecticides against mustard aphid, L. erysimi (Kalt.), under field conditions.

Material and Methods

The field experiment was carried out during the Rabi season of 2024-25 at the Research-cum-Instructional Farm, Raj Mohini Devi College of Agriculture and Research Station, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) consisting of seven treatments, each replicated three times. The treatments included Bacillus thuringiensis @ 10 ml/L, Beauveria bassiana @ 10 ml/L, Metarhizium anisopliae @ 10 ml/L, Verticillium lecanii @ 10 ml/L, Azadirachtin 0.03% EC @ 5 ml/L, Acetamiprid 20% SP @ 2 g/L and an untreated control. These treatments were evaluated for their effectiveness against mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.). The required quantity of each treatment was applied with the help of a knapsack sprayer during the morning hours. Aphid observations were recorded from the upper 5 cm portion of the central twig of five randomly selected plants from each plot. The aphid population was recorded one day before spraying and subsequently at 3, 7 and 10 days after each spray.

The increase in yield over control for each treatment was computed using the following formula:

Cost benefit ratio, net return per rupees invested, was calculated by using the following formula.

Results and Discussion

Effect of biorational insecticides on mustard aphid population

The response of mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.), to different biorational insecticides following the first and second applications is presented in Table 1.

Following the first spray, aphid numbers showed a gradual decline up to 7 days after treatment in most of the treated plots. (2021) [1] , who reported that Beauveria bassiana, Verticillium lecanii and azadirachtin were effective biorational options for the management of mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.), and could be used as eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives for aphid management.

Adult of aphid

Nymph of aphid

Effect on seed yield and economic performance

The seed yield and economic performance of mustard under different treatments are presented in Table 3 and Fig. 2. Acetamiprid (T 6 ) recorded the maximum seed yield (10.27 q/ha), with a yield advantage of 4.25 q/ha over the untreated control. It also resulted in the highest net return (Rs. 36,408/ha) and ICBR (1:4.4) among all the treatments. Considering only the biopesticide treatments, Beauveria bassiana (T 2 ) showed the highest performance, producing 9.98 q/ha seed yield, a yield increase of 3.96 q/ha, a net return of Rs. 34,618/ha and an ICBR of 1:3.7. It was followed by Azadirachtin indica (9.53 q/ha; 3.51 q/ha; Rs. 31,617/ha; 1:2.4), Verticillium lecanii (8.79 q/ha; 2.77 q/ha; Rs. 27,448/ha; 1:0.9), Metarhizium anisopliae (7.96 q/ha; 1.94 q/ha; Rs. 22,518/ha; 1:8.9) and Bacillus thuringiensis (7.27 q/ha; 1.25 q/ha; Rs. 18,318/ha; 1:7.3), respectively. The minimum seed yield of 6.02 q/ha was obtained in the untreated control. Supporting the present findings,

Conclusion

The present study revealed that Lipaphis erysimi was a major pest of mustard. Among the biorational treatments, Beauveria bassiana (T 2 ) performed better than the other treatments, with lower aphid popula-tion, higher seed yield, net return and ICBR. Therefore, B. bassiana may be considered a promising biorational insecticide for the management of mustard aphid, while Acetamiprid 20% SP (T 6 ) served as the chemical check.

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14. How to cite this article: Bhagat P, Bhagat P, Painkra K, Jaiswal SK, Painkra G. Evaluation of biorational insecticides for the management of aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) on mustard. International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research. 2026;10(9):49-53. doi: https://www.doi.org/10.33545/26174693. 2026.v10.i9w.10192