O P Sharma

Impact of areawide integrated pest management strategies on pests of pigeonpea and yield in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is an important legume crop of southern Maharashtra, providing high quality protein and animal feed. Insect pests feeding on flowers and pods of this crop are the most important biotic constraint affecting yield to the tune of 60 per cent. Hitherto, focus of pest management research has been on podborer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner). With large scale cultivation of transgenic cotton in Maharashtra and climatic changes, pest scenario has changed requiring more attention on leaf webber, Maruca and pod fly. Hence, area wide implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in pigeopea was implemented during 2010-11 and 2011-12 covering 5 taluks benefitting 2449 farmers of 8 villages. It was observed that use of pesticides based on the “e-Pest monitoring and its subsequent decision support tools” enabled to manage pests with judicious use of pesticides. The pest infestation (pod borer, pod fly, plume moth, flower webber, etc.,) were significantly low as compared to non-IPM with appreciable high population of natural enemies (coccinellids, chrysopa and spiders) were also observed under IPM fields. Timely dissemination of advisories and action has resulted in higher grain yield of 9.89 q/ha and lower grain damage 5.69 per cent as compared to non-IPM (13.79 per cent).

Integrated disease management for tomato in island ecosystem of Andaman

Integrated disease management modules were developed for the management of disease complex in tomato during 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11, under Island ecosystem of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All isolates of biocontrol agents significantly parasitized the test pathogens in vitro but the isolate Tv-CARI-73 was most effective against all the pathogens, viz., Pythium sp., Phytophthora sp., Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici followed by Th-CARI-50, Tv-CARI-85 and Th-CARI-70. In IDM module - I, T10 (combination of seed treatment + seedling dip + soil application of biocontrol agents) treatment was most effective in reduction of disease incidences in tomato (except bacterial wilt) followed by T11, T12, T11 and T9. This treatment was also recorded with highest yield (227.5 q/ha). In IDM module - II, T7 (integration of bioagents with the fungicides)treatment was recorded with highest percent reduction in incidence of all diseases (86.0% bacterial wilt, 56.2% leaf curl, 76.4% basal stem rot and 74.8% fusarial wilt) and increase in yield (75.3%) followed by T1, T9, T8, T13 and T14. Similarly, T2 treatment in IDM module - III, was most effective in reduction of disease incidence (89.9% bacterial wilt, 56.5% leaf curl, 77.0% basal stem rot and 75.7% fusarial wilt) and corresponding yield increase (83.6%) of tomato, followed by T3, T4 and T1 treatments.