Bioefficacy of Newer and Biorational Insecticides against Shoot and Fruit Borer, Earias spp. on Okra

In India, it is cultivated throughout the country occupying an area of 507 thousand hectares with an annual production of 5853 thousand metric tones during 2014-15 (Anonymous, 2015). In Rajasthan, it is grown in an area of 4.21 thousand hectares with an annual production to the tune of 16.64 thousand metric tonnes (Anonymous, 2015). The crop, right from germination to harvesting is attacked by about 72 species of insect pests (Rao and Rajendran, 2003). Among them, the shoot and fruit borer (E. insulana and E. vittella) is one of the most serious pests of okra. The larvae bore into the terminal growing shoots, floral buds, flowers and fruits of okra, resulting in cessation, withering and drying of infested shoots, tender leaves and heavy shedding of floral buds and flowers. The infested fruits become malformed and are rendered unfit for human consumption as well as for procurement of the seeds. The borer has been reported to cause 24.6 to 26.0 per cent damage to okra shoots (Pareek et al., 1986; Zala et al., 1999) and 40 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 7 (2017) pp. 1035-1044 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com