Efficacy of Novel Insecticides and Biopesticides Against Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and Sesamia inferens (Walker) in Maize

A field experiment was conducted at the Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala (Haryana), India, to study the impact of five novel insecticides (spinosad 45 SC (suspension concentrate) @ 0.3 mL/L, chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC @ 0.4 mL/L, emamectin benzoate 5 SG (soluble granules) @ 0.4 g/L, indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 1 mL/L, and novaluron 10 EC (emulsifiable concentrate) @ 0.1 mL/L) and three biopesticides (agniastra @ 1,000 mL/5 L, Bacillus thuringiensis @ 2 g/L, and nimbicidine @ 5-6 mL/L) against Chilo partellus and Sesamia inferens, which cause significant qualitative and quantitative losses in spring maize crops.The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design, and the treatments were applied as foliar sprays when the pests reached the economic threshold level (10% dead hearts).The efficacy of various treatments was assessed on the basis of larval counts of these pests under different treatments.Among the various treatments, chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC was found to be the most effective treatment, reducing the mean larval populations of C. partellus and S. inferens to 1.00 and 1.41 larvae/plant, respectively, followed by emamectin benzoate 5 SG (1.08 and 1.52 larvae/plant) and spinosad 45 SC (1.20 and 1.62 larvae/plant), as against the control (2.67 and 4.46 larvae/plant), respectively.Indoxacarb 14.5 SC (1.30 and 1.73 larvae/plant) and novaluron 10 EC (1.40 and 1.85 larvae/plant) were next in order of efficacy.The biopesticides, viz., Bt (1.50 and 1.95 larvae/plant) and nimbicidine 0.03 EC (1.60 and 2.05 larvae/plant), were found to be moderately effective against C. partellus and S. inferens.However, these were statistically inferior to the insecticides with regard to their efficacy.Chlorantraniliprole-treated plots gave the highest grain yield of 61.67 q/ha, followed by emamectin benzoate (58.06 q/ha) and spinosad (56.04 q/ha), and also increased the plant height of the maize hybrid.Based on the present findings, the foliar application of chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC, emamectin benzoate 5 SG, and spinosad 45 SC is advocated for the eco-friendly management of C. partellus and S. inferens in spring maize owing to the limited residual effects of these insecticides.