Response of Sucking Insect Pests to Growth Regulators in Brinjal

Sucking insects pose significant challenges to brinjal, often necessitating use of synthetic insecticides, which show limited efficacy and high toxicity to non-target organisms. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two insect growth regulators (IGRs), buprofezin (Award 40SC) and lufenuron (Heron 5EC), along with the insecticide chlorpyrifos (Dursban 20EC), against major sucking pests: Aphid Aphis gossypii (Glover), jassid Amrasca devastans (Distant), whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), thrips Thrips tabaci (Lindeman), and leafhopper Amrasca biguttula (Ishida). IGRs and insecticide were applied four times at 15-day intervals, with pest counts recorded at pre-treatment and 7- and 14-days post-treatment. Buprofezin significantly reduced aphid and leafhopper the 75.2 and 66.3%, respectively, after fourth repeated sprays, while lufenuron was incidence by most effective against jassid, achieving reductions of 53.0%. Chlorpyrifos demonstrated efficacy against whiteflies (66.7%) and aphids (90.5%), but less effective against thrips and leafhopper. The results suggest that combining buprofezin and lufenuron could enhance control of aphids, thrips, and leafhoppers, offering a more effective and environmentally safer alternative to traditional insecticides. Incorporating these IGRs into integrated pest management (IPM) strategies may improve brinjal pest control and sustainability.