COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF WATER JETTING AND CHEMICAL MEASURES AGAINST MAJOR SUCKING PESTS OF MULBERRY AND THEIR SAFETY TO NATURAL ENEMIES

Abstract

ABSTRACT Comparative efficacy of user friendly water jetting technique by diverting a portion of irrigation water through a garden hose and chemical measures [0.1 % dichlorvos (76EC) / 0.05% dimethoate (30 EC)] practised by farmers against the major sucking pests of mulberry was studied. Two treatments with water jetting at 15 and 25 days after pruning (DAP) of mulberry plants was more effective in control of papaya mealybug than all concurrent chemical measures viz. two sprays of dichlorvos, dichlorvos followed by dimethoate, dimethoate followed by dichlorvos and two sprays of dimethoate. Against spiralling whitefly and jassid water jetting exhibited at par results with two sprays of dimethoate and dimethoate followed by dichlorvos but superior to the rest of the chemical measures. But against thrips, it was recorded lower efficacy than two sprays of dimethoate and dimethoate followed by dichlorvos, at par with dichlorvos followed by dimethoate and better than two spray of dichlorvos. Water jetting in mulberry garden showed slight or no deleterious effect on predatory coccinellids and spiders whereas there was drastic reduction in their population on chemical measures. However, the additional treatment of water jetting a third time at 35 DAP supported to reduce the population of all sucking pests in a greater extent constantly till 45 DAP and the highest population of natural enemies in the water jetted plots also worked to keep the pest population reduced which resulted in higher leaf yield and economy than all chemical measures.