Combined efficacy of entomopathogens and Insecticides

The white grubs assumed the status of “National Pest” with the advent of modern agriculture during the 60’s.The cultivators of sugarcane, paddy, jowar, tobacco, maize and chilli are facing the problem of white grubs in Kolhapur district. Among the white grubs, Leucopholis lepidophora (Blanchard) has recently been reported to thread to sugarcane, paddy, and groundnut cultivation in the western Maharashtra especially in Kolhapur region. There is need for development of alternate ecofriendly and economically feasible strategy for the control of white grub. Biological control may be promising in the management of white grub. The entomopathogenic fungi, entomopathogenic nematode has high infection rates in white grub population. The combined application of EPF, EPN and insecticides appears to be environmently safe strategy against white grub. Therefore keeping this in view, present investigations were taken-up to understand the compatibility of Metarhizium anisopliae and Heterorhabditis indica with imidacloprid to control white grub, Leucopholis lepidophora under laboratory and pot culture experiment.