Assessment of Different Pest Management Modules Against Sucking and Borers Insect Pests and Their Predators on Tomato

The impact of three different pest management modules was evaluated against the major insect pests of tomatoes at the vegetable farm of Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India. Among the three tested modules, chemical pest management module (Module 2) comprised spraying of imidacloprid 17.8% SL @ 0.33 ml/L, spiromesifen 22.9% SC @ 1.25 ml/L, thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 0.5 g/L, indoxacarb 14.5% SC @ 0.8 ml/L, chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.35 ml/L, cyantraniliprole 10.26% OD @ 1.8 ml/L, novaluron10 EC @ 1 ml/L and chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.35 ml/L from 30 DAT onwards to till 105 DAT at 10 days intervals provided lowest fruit damage (4.29%) along with maximum per cent reduction over control (61.93). The chemical pest management module also registered the lowest sucking pest population viz., Bemisia tabaci (2.15 leaves-3 plant-1) and Aphis gossypii (2.57 leaves-3 plant-1) than the other pest management modules with maximum per cent reductions over control of 57.51 and 68.07, respectively. The number of predatory coccinellid beetles and polyphagous spiders was higher in the untreated control plot. Furthermore, the chemical pest management module recorded the highest healthy fruit yields (293.66 q ha-1). Regarding return, the highest benefit-cost ratio was obtained from the chemical pest management module (1:3.52) followed by the integrated pest management module (1:3.20).