Bioefficacy of imidacloprid and amrutguard against termites and shoot borer in sugarcane crop

In field experiments, conducted during 1998-2001, bioefficacy of a chloronicotinyl insecticide imidacloprid (Confidor 200 SL)and a neem based biopesticide Amrutguard (azadirachtin 300ppm) was evaluated forthe control of termites and shoot borer in sugarcane crop and compared with that of standard recommended insecticide chlorpyriphos 20EC. Amrutguard applied @3.75 L ha - 1 as spray over the seed setts in furrows and imidacloprid @187.5 ml ha - 1 applied as sett dip as also as spary over setts in furrows @ 250 ml ha - 1 protected the crop from termite and early shoot borerdamage as effectivelyaschlorpyriphos(Durmet20EC)@ 6.25 L ha - 1 . Imidacloprid applied @312.5 ml and 375 ml ha - 1 as spray over the cane setts in furrows proved significantly superiorto chlorpyriphos. These treatments registered a significantly reduced incidence of termites coupled with a marked increase in germination, number of tillers, millable canes and yield. The shoot borer incidence was invariably low in the experimental fields and did not vary significantly among the treatments. Sett treatment with imidacloprid and sett and soil treatment with Amrutguard could offer safer control of moderate termite infestation, while sett and soil treatment with higher doses of imidacloprid could be employed for severe termite infestations. As imidacloprid has shown high compatibility with fungicides emisan and mencozeb, the two treatments involving sett dip may be combined as to furtherreduce the cost of application in sugarcane crop.