Field Efficacy of Insecticides against Conopomorpha sinensis Bradley (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): A Major Pest of Litchi and its Management in Bihar, India

Abstract

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a subtropical fruit; family Sapindaceae. Litchi offers a good potentiality for its cultivation in Bihar both nutritionally and economically. India is the second largest global producer of litchi, next only to China. Litchi fruit borer (Conopomorpha sinensis Bradely, 1986 Lepidoptera: Gracillaridae), litchi mite, leaf cutting weevils, litchi looper, and leaf roller are major pests which attack litchi plant, during different seasons. They cause damage to the litchi plant throughout the year but their seasonal abundance not only damage the plant, but also the fruits. Among these pests, C. sinensis is the prominent one remaining active throughout the year but it’s the peak period was from July to November (as shoot borer) and from March to May (as fruit borer).  30-70% of the dropped. The results revealed that the lowest number of fruits infestation was recorded with Lambda Cyhalothrin 5 EC @ 0.003% followed by the treatment with Spinosad which gave better result 25 % infestation was. Therefore, an attempt has been made to study management options for litchi fruit and shoot borer C. sinensis by using new control measures.