Enhancing Red Ginger Plant Growth through Eco-Friendly Pest Management: Synergistic Effects of Metarhizium anisopliae and Imidacloprid

Abstract

This study explores the potential of a more environmentally friendly pest management approach for enhancing the vegetative growth of red ginger plants (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) by mitigating the damage caused by Lepidiota stigma (white grub) larvae. The study was conducted at the Experimental Garden of the Faculty of Agriculture, UPN “Veteran” Yogyakarta from April to August 2022, utilizing a factorial Completely Randomized Design. The application of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae at varying doses (0 g, 10 g, 20 g, and 30 g per 3 kg of planting media) and the systemic insecticide Imidacloprid (either absent or at a dose of 0.02 g per 3 kg of planting media) were the primary factors studied. Each treatment combination, executed on ten plants each infested with one larvae, was repeated thrice. The findings demonstrate that a combined application of M. anisopliae and Imidacloprid could significantly reduce the intensity of white grub damage to red ginger plants and improve their vegetative growth. Notably, a dose of M. anisopliae of 20 g per 3 kg of planting media maximized the plant height, leaf number, and tiller count. The findings highlight the potential of integrating biological and chemical controls for sustainable pest management and crop yield improvement, with broad implications for other similar agricultural contexts.