Effect of biorational approaches for the management of blue butterfly (Lampides boeticusL.) in Pigeonpea

Abstract

A filed experiment was conducted to determine the influence of intercropping and application of ecofriendly biopesticides on the management of blue butterfly, (L. boeticus.) Pigeonpea cv. Bahar intercropped with maize, pearl millet, sorghum, rice and black gram had significant influence on the reduction of larval population of [L. boeticus (L)] as compared with monocrop. The intercrops pigeonpea + pearl millet (2.86%), pigeonpea + sorghum (1.03%) and pigeonpea + black gram (0.62%) had lowest pod and grain damage by number and by weight basis, respectively. While, intercropping had no significant influence in reduction of pod and grain damage. The ecofriendly biopesticides i e. NSKE (5%), Nimbecidine (1%) and Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (1.5%) sprayed once and twice (first at flowering and pod formation stage and second after 20 days) were found superior over one spray of biopesticides in reducing the larval population, pod damage, grain damage and grain weight loss and their mean values varied from 0.21 to 0.39 larva plant-1, 1.75 to 4.08%, 0.53 to 1.41% and 0.37 to 0.87%, respectively. However, the plots devoid of any biopesticidal treatment had maximum larval infestation (0.70 larva plant-1), pod damage (4.62%), grain damage (1.82%) and grain weight loss (1.12%).