Integration of indigenous plant extracts and pyrifluquinazon againist Brevicoryne brassicae (L.)

The wheat aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is most damaging insect pests for crops of wheat & canola and causes substantial yield losses through sucking cell sap and transferring disease causing pathogens. This research work was to assess effectiveness of three botanical extracts (lemon grass, lupin, moringa) and insecticide Matoi 20 WG (pyrifluqunazon) alone and in integrated manners against B. brassicae. The results revealed that the combination of lemon grass + pyrifluqunazon showed the highest reduction in aphid population i.e., 96.58 and 91.36% in wheat and canola, respectively. In the case of natural enemies (Coccinellids, Syrphid flies, and Chrysoperla carnea), maximum population reduction was observed in Matoi (95.33, 91.23, and 91.66%), while minimum reduction was observed in lemon grass (4.76, 6.66, and 11.11%) treatments, respectively. The maximum number of grains (41.33 and 41.00) and grain yield (55.66 and 6.24 g) were recorded for wheat and canola, respectively, in the lemon grass + pyrifluqunazon treatment. Hence, the study finalized that combination of plant extract and Matoi may potentially established a good option for controlling wheat aphids and conserving natural enemies in the field. This combination can be suggested for recommendation to the farmers in the integrated management of wheat aphid.