Whitefly Screening of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) through Insecticide and Plant Extracts

Eight pesticides and five plant extracts were evaluated for efficacy against brinjal whitefly during rabi (2018-19) and kharif (2019-20) at Agricultural Research Station in Virinjipuram, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Acetamiprid 20 SP @ 0.3 g l-1, imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 0.5 ml l-1, spiromesifen 240 SC @ 1.0 ml l-1, thiacloprid 240 SC @ 1.0 ml l-1, thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 0.4 g l-1, dimethoate 30 EC @ 2.0 ml l-1, and profenophos 50 EC @ 2.0 ml l-1, azadirachtin 10000 ppm @ 3.0 ml l-1, neem seed kernel extract at 5%, and leaf extracts of neem, bougainvillea and coconut at 10% were administered to 30-day-old plants at one month intervals. According to the findings, spiromesifen 240 SC (3.05 Nos / 3 leaves) spraying had the lowest whitefly population during the crop time. Thiacloprid 240 SC (3.28 Nos / 3 leaves) and thiamethoxam 25 WG (3.39 Nos / 3 leaves) were next in line. Plots treated with spiromesifen 240 SC, thiacloprid 240 SC, and thiamethoxam 25 WG showed the greatest population reductions (79.16, 77.59, and 76.84 percent) compared to the untreated control. Thiacloprid 240 SC @ 1.0 ml l-1 (5.22%), thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 0.4 g l-1 (5.87%), and azadirachtin 10000 ppm @ 3 ml l-1 (6.22%) were found to be the next treatments. Plots treated with spiromesifen 240 SC, thiacloprid 240 SC, and thiamethoxam 25 WG yielded the most fruit (28.79, 28. 01 and 27.24 tonnes ha-1, respectively), increasing their cost-benefit ratio by 36.63, 32.93 and 29.28 % over the untreated control.