Bioefficacy of Physical, Chemical and Bio-pesticide Seed Treatment against Pulse Beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis) in Chickpea

Background: The effectiveness of chemical insecticides in comparison to other alternative treatments viz., neem-based bio-pesticide formulation, chitin synthesis inhibitor, radiation technique and synthetic pyrethroid as seed treatment was studied to manage pulse beetle incidence with a view to determine the best option to prevent seed damage and also to maintain seed quality during storage. Methods: The experiment was carried out under laboratory conditions following completely randomized block design with three replications. Four seed protectant treatments and untreated control was taken to study the effectiveness of the treatments on adult mortality and per cent seed weight loss. The insects were exposed to the treated seeds drawn from the treatment stock at 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours after treatment (HAT). Observations for the study parameters were recorded at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after storage (DAS) of insects on the treated seeds. Result: The treatment with deltamethrin 2.8% EC @ 1.4 mg a.i./kg seed, diflubenzuron 25% WP @ 1.0 mg a.i./kg seed, neem oil based EC containing Azadirachtin 0.03% @ 6.0 mg a.i./kg seed and UV radiation @ 254 nm exposure for 5 min were found effective against Callosobruchus chinensis in descending order based on adult mortality and per cent seed weight loss.