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CORESTA Congress, Kyoto, 2004, AP 12

Integrated Pest Management module for insect pests of tobacco in India

SREEDHAR U.; SITARAMAIAH S.; VENKATESWARLU P.; DEO SINGH K.; NAGESWARARAO S.
Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI), Rajahmundry (A.P.) India

India is one of the major tobacco producing countries in the world. Tobacco is prone to infestation by various pests. In India caterpillar, Spodoptera litura ; ground beetle; Mesomorphus villager ; stemborer, Scrobipalpa heliopa ; budworm, Helicoverpa armigera ; whitefly, Bemisia tabaci causing leaf curl virus disease and aphid Myzus nicotianae are the major pests of FCV tobacco in the field. Though different methods of management have been recommended against various pests, adoption of any single method does not provide adequate protection. An integrated pest management (IPM) module with cultural, biological, other eco-friendly methods and need based application of insecticides as components was developed and evaluated in comparison with chemical control and unprotected plots. The results of two seasons experimentation showed that the plant damage due to ground beetle, stemborer, caterpillar, budworm, aphids and whitefly transmitted leaf curl ranged from 0.96-2.72, 5.66-5.92, 0.14-0.16, 0.80-1.04, 0.16-1.06 and 4.92-5.24 per cent respectively in IPM plots as against 8.66-20.24, 16.20-19.56, 1.98-2.72, 9.88-10.52, 11.64-20.26 and 17.08-30.86 per cent in unprotected plots. In IPM plots, increased activity of natural enemies was recorded on castor, marigold, sorghum, maize and pearl millet used as trap crops and decoy plants. Caterpillar, budworm and aphids were trapped by the trap crops and decoy plants due to which the infestation in tobacco was less as compared to unprotected as well as chemical control plots. IPM plots also recorded higher green leaf, cured leaf, bright leaf and better grade index than chemical control and unprotected plots. IPM module proved to be effective in reducing the pest damage in tobacco, enhanced the natural enemy activity due to vegetation diversity, reduced the insecticide use and improved the yields.