Bioefficacy, environmental safety and synergistic impacts of biorational formulations against whitefly, leafhopper and blister beetle in organic okra ecosystem

Abstract

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida) and large yellow-banded blister beetle (Mylabris phalerata) cause considerable damage to okra, especially under organic farming. Thus, the present study was carried out to test the bioefficacy and environmental safety of six naturally derived components [indigenous water plant extracts, i.e. chilli (Capsicum annum), garlic (Allium sativum L.) and neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) along with cow urine in three different combinations, one commercial botanical (azadirachtin 0.15%), and two formulated entomopathogenic fungi (Verticillium lecanii and Beauveria bassiana)] on aforesaid pests for two consecutive years at field scale. In addition to this, the eco-toxicological effect of naturally derived components was also studied on natural enemies’ populations, viz. spiders and coccinellids. Quaternary mixture application of chilli, garlic, neem leaf and cow urine (CGNC) at 10% w/v was found effective in reducing leafhoppers (94.6%), whiteflies (95.2%) and blister beetle (94.6%) over control. Okra treated with CGNC produced a higher marketable fruit yield (18.44 mg/ha) than those of other treatments. It was also observed that the application of CGNC had no phytotoxic symptoms on okra plants. Application of CGNC was found safer to the natural enemy's population (spiders and coccinellids). Thus, the study suggests that CGNC can be considered as a potential source for managing the population of whitefly, leafhopper and blister beetle without affecting the ecology of natural enemies and it could be a viable eco-friendly option in organic okra production for ensuring food safety and healthy environment.

Efficacy of Eco-Friendly Bio-Pesticides against the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) for Sustainable Eggplant Cultivation in Kebbi State, Nigeria

“…The solution was then stored at 4 • C in an airtight clean container before use. The extract was sprayed at three different doses (20,40, and 60 mL/L) [37].…”

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) Management (WFM) Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture: A Review

“…A combination of cow dung with urine, ash, slurry, or vermiwash significantly reduced insect pest populations on brinjal [141,142]. The application of chili, garlic, and neen leaf extracts in cow urine on okra reduced the whitefly and other pests' population [143].…”

Structure-based in-silico analysis of phytocompounds from Cleistanthus collinus for the development of effective insecticide against Tribolium castaneum

“…belongs to the family Phyllanthaceae with geoavaliability in India, Sri Lanka, and other parts of South Asia and is also well known for its pharmacological usage. Preliminary studies have indicated the insecticidal potential of C. collinus against leafhoppers, whiteflies [10], and stored-grain pest [11]. The insecticidal activity was attributed to the presence of diverse secondary metabolites, such as triterpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids, and some plant-specific compounds like collinusin and cleistanthins [12].…”