Efficacy of Insecticides for the Management of Cashew Stem and Root Borer, Plocaederus ferrugineus L (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Bapatla Andhra Pradesh

Background: Cashew is one of the important foreign exchange earning plantation crops of the country. The production and productivity of crop is impeded by several insect pests. Among them, cashew stem and root borer (CSRB) (Plocaederus ferrugineus L) a noxious pest of cashew leads to death of the trees, thereby reducing the optimum tree population per unit area in the cashew orchards. Methods: The study on curative control measures of cashew stem and root borer (CSRB) i.e. Post Extraction Prophylaxis (PEP) trial was conducted from 2015-16 to 2020-21 at Cashew Research Station, Bapatla, AICRP on Cashew, Dr. YSR Horticultural University Andhra Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized block design with four replications and for each replication five infested trees were selected. Result: The data on efficacy of insecticides against CSRB (Post Extraction Prophylaxis) indicated that Imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 2.0 ml/litre was found superior over other treatments, with 78.1 per cent trees free from re-infestation after post extraction prophylaxis (PEP), followed by fipronil 5%SC @ 2 ml/ liter and chlorpyrifos 20 EC @10 ml/ liter were recorded 68.5 and 65.6 per cent, respectively. The preferential zone of attack of cashew stem and root borer on cashew trees was stem + collar + root zone, followed by collar zone and collar + root zone.