Efficacy of Botanical Emulsifiable Concentration (EC) Formulations Against Tobacco Caterpillar and Gram Caterpillar in Groundnut

The field experiment was carried out during summer 2022 and 2023 to evaluate the efficacy of botanical EC formulations against tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricus) and gram caterpillar, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) of groundnut. Among the botanical EC formulations, neem 40 EC 1.50% and custard apple 40 EC 1.50% at fortnightly intervals proved to be the most effective with least larval count and it was on par with standard check, emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC 0.85%. The next effective ones were pongamia 40 EC 1.50% and vitex 40 EC 1.50% which were at par with each other. The study emphasized that use of developed neem 40 EC 1.50% and custard apple 40 EC 1.50% can replace the usage of synthetic chemical insecticides in groundnut ecosystem.