EFFECT OF BIOINOCULANTS ON SUCKING PESTS AND POD BORER COMPLEX IN URDBEAN

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pulse crops are damaged by an array of pest complex and yield reduction due to insect pests is one of the major constraints for low productivity. Use of microbial bioinoculants can substitute the conventional pesticide use in short duration crops like urdbean, mungbean and cowpea. In the present study, the bioinoculants such as Beauveria bassiana and Pseudomonasfluorescens talc formulations (10g/kg seed & 2ml/lit) were tested against whitefly Bemisia tabaci, leaf hopper Empoasca kerri, legume pod borer Maruca vitrata and flea beetle Madurasia obscurella. The damage by M.vitrata, gram pod borer Helicoverpa armigera, blue butterfly Lampides boeticus and pod bugs was also recorded. The results of two year experiments revealed that significant effect was observed in the bioinoculants applied plots on the sucking insects and pod borer complex. The P. fluorescens seed treated plots had lower whitefly population compared to B.bassiana treated plots and untreated check. The foliar application of B.bassiana showed good results on the pod borer complex. The damage by M. vitrata, H. armigera, L. boeticus was low in the harvested pods as against the untreated control. The damage by pod bugs was also low in the B.bassiana applied plants. The yield in different treatments was recorded and the highest yield was recorded in chemical treated plots followed by bioinoculants treated plots.