Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important grain legume worldwide, including Ethiopia as a secondary center of genetic diversity; however, production is severely limited by pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) that can result in up to 100% yield loss. This study examined the effectiveness of three insecticides (Datrate 5% EC, High Pyro 220 EW, and Helarate 5% EC) applied at one, two, or three times against H. armigera on chickpea production at two sites in Bale, South Eastern Ethiopia (Sinana and Goro) during the 2021/22–2023/24 growing seasons using a field experiment based on a randomized complete block design with the Harbu variety. The results indicated that the application of Datrate 5% EC three times resulted in the lowest larval reduction (94.06% at Sinana, 90.75% at Goro) and pod damage (16.55% at Sinana, 23.18% at Goro), with the highest grain yield (36.66 qt/ha at Sinana, 31.93 qt/ha at Goro) compared to control (15.12 qt/ha at Sinana, 12.87 qt/ha at Goro). Economic analysis showed that three applications of Datrate 5% EC had the highest net benefit (216,901.05 ETB ha⁻¹), with a marginal rate of return of 8,946.81%. A very strong negative correlation (r = -0.99) was observed between pod damage percentage and grain yield, which means that the higher the percent of damaged pods, the lower the yield, and each 1% increase in damaged pods reduces yield by 0.8327 qt/ha. While three applications of Datrate 5% EC were most effective, environmental risks and pesticide resistance require that chemical control be combined with biological and cultural methods within an integrated pest management framework. These results can serve as a basis to enhance H. armigera management for sustainable chickpea production in Ethiopia.
Abdisa et al. (Tue,) studied this question.