Potential plant extracts and entomopathogenic Fungi against Red pumpkin beetle, Raphidopalpa foveicollis (Lucas) Vishwakarma Ramanuj, Chand Pool, Ghatak Sibani S. Department of Agril. Entomology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia-741 252, India Abstract Field trials were conducted to assess the bio-efficacy of two indigenous plant products, viz. seed extracts of Strychnos nuxvomica and Pachyrrhizus erosus, using petroleum either as solvent and two entomopathogenic fungi, viz. Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, in controlling red pumpkin beetle, Raphidopalpa foveicollis on cv. Narendra Rashmi bottle gourd. Both the botanicals were used @ 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 ml/lit. of water while the entomopathogenic fungi, were used @ 2.0 g, 2.5 g and 3.0 g/lit. of water, keeping an untreated control. Significantly maximum reduction in damage (70.2%) was achieved in treatment with B. bassiana, when used @ 3.0 g/lit of water along with crop yield of 315.36 q/ha, as compared to untreated control, followed by S. nuxvomica (65.4% at 4.0 ml/lit), M. anisopliae (64.7% at 3.0 g/lit.) and P. erosus (60.9% at 4.0 ml/ lit.), vis-a-vis crop yield of 298.18, 286.48, and 278.81 q/ha, respectively. B. bassiana @ 3.0 g/lit. of water recorded the highest economic return with a B:C ratio of 21.54:1 as compared to untreated control. Top Key words Plant products; Entomopathogenic fungi, Loginaria siceraria, Raphidopalpa foveicollis.. Top |