BIO-RATIONAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES INCLUDING BIO-CONTROL AGENTS AGAINST BRINJAL SHOOT AND FRUIT BORER, LEUCINODES ORBONALIS

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Agriculture Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE (MS) IN ENTOMOLOGY

The present experiment was conducted at the experimental field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh to find out the efficacy of bio-rational management practices including bio-control agents against Brinjal Shoot and Fruit Borer (BSFB) during October, 2018 to March, 2019. This experiment tested on a Hybrid brinjal variety “Begun-706” laid out in RCBD with 3 replications. The experiment comprised eight treatments viz., T 1 = Cultural + mechanical control method, T 2 = Braconid wasps @ 20-25/plot + sanitation, T 3 = Sanitation + Funnel Pheromone trap, T 4 = Sanitation + Sevin 50 WP @ 1.0g/L of water, T 5 = Success 2.5 EC @ 0.5 ml/L of water + Pheromone trap, T 6 = Spinosad 45% SC @ 0.01% + Funnel Pheromone trap, T 7 = Sanitation + Trichogramma evanescens @ 1 card/plot (1000 eggs per card) and T 8 = Untreated control. The plots treated with T 5 treatment, resulted significantly lowest percentage of infested shoot, flower and fruit, which was statistically similar with T 6 treatment during the whole period and the highest infestation was found in T 8 treatment followed by T 1 treatment. The yield contributing characters found highest in T 5 treatment for length, girth and weight of individual fruit and was statistically similar to T 6 treatment. In case of yield, T 5 (56.65 t ha ) showed the best result which was statistically similar with T 6 (53.88 t ha -1 -1 ) followed by T 4 (28.45 t ha -1 ), T 7 (27.43 t ha -1 ), T 2 (25.10 t ha -1 ), T 3 (24.02 t ha -1 ) and the lowest result was found in T 8 (23.66 t ha -1 ) followed by T 1 (33.20 t ha -1 ). Percent increase over control was higher in T 5 (139.42%), statistically similar with T 6 (127.73%). Therefore, T 5 and T 6 exhibited more than two times higher yield than T 8 . From this study, it was concluded that T 5 (Success 2.5 EC @ 0.5 ml/L of water + Pheromone trap) was the most viable bio-rational options for L. orbonalis management which was statistically similar with T 6 (Spinosad 45% SC @ 0.01% + Funnel Pheromone trap).