The effectiveness of bioinsecticides compared to synthetic insecticides in controlling brown planthopper (BPH)

Abstract Brown planthopper (BPH) is one of the main pests of rice in Indonesia. This pest infestation causes crop failure up to hundreds of hectares. In fact, not only does it cause direct damage, BPH can also act as a virus vector. One of the most recommended forms of BPH control is integrated pest management where one of the methods involves the application of bioinsecticides. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a bioinsecticide, containing Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae , on BPH mortality, compared to synthetic insecticides containing BPMC 500 g/l. This study was carried out in Indonesian Spices and Medicinal Crops Research Institute (ISMECRI), Bogor in 2020 until 2021. The observation applied Completely Randomized Design with three treatments and nine replications, and was done by 2 methods, namely the direct contact method (insect spray) and the residue method (plant spray). The results showed that bioinsecticides are able to cause mortality rates of 32.5% (contact application) and 35% (residual application) on the seventh day after application. Although this result is lower than synthetic insecticides which can cause the mortality rate up to 60% (residual application) and 87.5% (contact application), it still shows that bioinsecticides have the potency to be developed to control BPH in an environmentally friendly setting.