Current Status of research on plant insect pests and biological control

Sunil Aryal, Ph. D.

Senior Scientist (S3)

Prem Nidhi Sharma, Ph. D.

Senior Scientist (S4)/Chief

Ajay Shree Ratna Bajracharya

Senior Scientist (S4)

Entomology Division

Nepal Agricultural Research Council

Contents

• Priority pests

• Projects

• Research on survey and monitoring

• Management option

• Biopesticides and natural enemies

• Publications

Priority insect pests

Priority insect pests of Nepal

http://www.dftqc.gov.np/downloadfile/Pest%20List%20of%20Nepal_1529842425.pdf

List of Commodities having National Pest Status Record of Nepal

• Chickpea pod borer, Helicoverpa armigeraHubner

• Red ant, Dorylus orientalis Westwood

• Cutworm, Agrotis sp.

• Whiter Grub

• Army worm, Mythimna sp.

• Tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera sp.

• Fruit fly complex

• Insect vector

– Aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer);

– whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius);

– Citrus psylla, Diphornia citiri Kuwayama;

– green leafhopper, Nephotettix virescens(Distant); brown planthopper, Nilaparvatalugens (Stal.))

Priority Lists

• Mite complex

• Ginger rhizome fly

• Cereal borer complex (Rice, maize and wheat)

• Coffee white stem borer

• Sugarcane pests– Plassey borer management

– Early shoot borer management

– Seed bed beetle, Heteronychus sp.

• Storage pests

Tropical Fruit

Mango stem borerMango mealy bugMango mealy bugMango hopperBanana weevil

Temperate fruit

San Jose scaleApple stem borer complexWooly Aphid

Research Area

Survey surveillance

Invertebrate pests Management

• Management

– Biological

• Natural enemies, Fungus, virus, nematode, plant products

– Ecological

• Cropping pattern, Push pull, Mechanical, Physical

– Host plant resistance

• Physical, Chemical, genetic

– Chemical

– IPM

Industrial Entomology

Pesticide residue

Vertebrate pest management

PEST SURVEY AND SURVEILLANCE OF EXPORTABLECOMMODITY

• Large cardamom

• Citrus

• Lentil

• Coffee

• Tea

• Ginger

• Other agricultural commodities

Insect bio-diversity in respective areaMonitoring, Preservation and identification of specimens – Different methods

Current Projects being implemented

Developing eco-friendly management technique for Rice GundhiBug and Stem Borer under Rice-Wheat system

Monitoring, Collection and identification of Rice and Wheat Insects

Effect of planting dates of rice against Rice Gundhi Bug and Stem borer damage

Effect of planting dates of wheat against stem borer damage and aphids population

Management of ginger rhizome fly (Calobata sp.) through integrated approach

Determination of level of field infestation and storage loss due to Rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Cureculionidae) and its management.

Screening of insect pests in rice

Continued..

Monitoring, identification of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and their eco-friendly management using of bio-rational alternatives

Development of eco-friendly techniques for vegetable aphids management

Stock maintenance, methodology development and mass production of bio-control agents and their use to minimize insect pest problem.

Maize Post-harvest Insect Pest Management in Mid Hills of Nepal

Ecological Management of Mealybug in Fruits

Monitoring of population dynamics of insects through Black Light Trap

Technology Generation of Integrated Borers and Pyrilla Management

Bio-rational management of fruit flies in fruits and vegetables in Eastern Terai Region of Nepal

Integrated management of coffee white stem borer

Assessment of climate change effect on maize insect diversity and development of eco-friendly management practices for maize stem borer complex in Nepal

Determining the use pattern of chemical pesticides and their residues levels on consumer commodities

Investigation on the management of major insect pests in maize

Developing Ecofriendly methods for the management of White stem borer in western mid hill of Nepal

Development of Sustainable Technologies on Industrial Entomology

Management of insect vector, Bemisia tabaci Guen

Integrated management of South American Tomato Leaf Miner, Tutaabsoluta (Meyrick, 1917) in Nepal.

Development of forecasting system for insect pests of agricultural importance

Biological Control of the Invasive weeds: Parthenium hysterophorus L. and water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) in Nepal

Management package development for cowpea spotted pod borer (Maruca sp.)

Continued..

Research on survey and monitoring

Black light trap• Dimensions of light trap

• Bulb=10 watt (350nm)

• Average life=10000 hrs

Outer cover (d)=65 cm

• Funnel (d)=30 cm

• End of funnel (d)=5 cm

• Baffle (h)=33 cm

• Baffle (b)=12cm

• A locally constructed - developed for the first time in Nepal based on

Pennsylvania light traps. Research and Development (2017) 3 (1): 98-107

• Such 30 traps have been prepared for different organization (13 for NARC, 5 for

DoA , 1 for AFU, and 1 for Polytechnic institute, 10 demanded by PMAMP)

detected from 45 locations of 30 districts surveyed

Survey and identification of fruit flies

• Collection of infested fruits (ten samples from each location)

• Pheromone trap - Methyl eugenoltrap @ 1 trap per ha and cue lure @ 1 trap per ha

• Protein bait trap – Mc Phail trap

• Beyond 3-4 traps per kattha, economically not viable Bhandari, 2075

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Aphids popuation in second week of February in IET plot-Wheat

normal rainfed late

Survey and monitoring of pests and natural enemies

Management study

Testing efficacy of pesticides against maize stem borer in fieldcondition

Treatment Dose Damage % Yield/ t ha

Spinosad 45% EC 0.5 ml /L of water

2.72 11.01

Chloropyrifos 50%EC + Cypermethrin 5% EC (Super D)

1.5ml/l of water

2.60 10.80

Control 4.21 7.96

Bajracharya et al, 2017

Evaluation of chemical pesticides for the management of shoot borers in sugarcane

Treatments Yield (tonnes/ha) Cumulative dead

hearts (%)

Control 39.6 8.18a

Fipronil 61.48 2.28b

Larvin 61.48 1.85b

Chlorantraniliprole 44.97 1.83b

Chlorpyriphos 48.84 1.80b

Spinosad 49.55 1.58b

Ferterra 63.06 1.25b

Cartap Hydrochloride 51.33 1.08b

Furadan 38.36 0.91b

Infestation of borers on various dates of planting of sugarcane

Date of

planting

Mean top Borer infestation

After 150-300 DAP (Aug-

17, 2018)

No. of millable

canes/ha

15-Oct 15.11 38520

15-Nov 39.96 29040

15-Dec 52.44 27110

15-Jan 45.39 24150

15-Feb 48.97 21930

15-Mar 41.31 17780

Among eight bio-rational treatments

(Aabamectin, Spinosad, Emamectin

benzoate, Tozen, Derisom, Borergourd,

Chlorantraniliprole and control) against

BFSB in field condition, the bio-

pesticides Spinosad @ 0.3 ml / lit and

Chlorantraniliprole @ 0.25 ml / lit were

found superior than other treatments in

terms of reducing fruit infestation and

obtaining higher marketable yield

Brinjal shoot and fruit borer management in field

Mite population (%) at honeybee brood, application of diff treatments

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Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment Count (Days)

Control- Water Formic Acid Glucose Powder

Neem seed Powder Urine Solution

Biological pesticides and Natural enemies

Biological pesticides -EPA

Biochemical pesticides

• Naturally occurring substances that control pests by non-toxic mechanisms

• Interfere with mating - insect sex pheromones, scented plant extracts that attract insect pests to traps.

• EPA has established a special committee to make such decisions.

Microbial pesticides

• Consist of a microorganism (e.g., a bacterium, fungus, virus or protozoan) as the active ingredient.

• Microbial pesticides can control many different kinds of pests, although each separate active ingredient is relatively specific for its target pest[s].

• For example, there are fungi that control certain weeds and other fungi that kill specific insects.

• Subspecies and strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt

Classes of Biological pesticides or Biopesticies

Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (PIPs)

• Pesticidal substances that plants produce from genetic material that has been added to the plant.

• For example, scientists can take the gene for the Bt pesticidalprotein and introduce the gene into the plant's own genetic material.

• Then the plant, instead of the Bt bacterium, manufactures the substance that destroys the pest. The protein and its genetic material, but not the plant itself, are regulated by EPA.

S.N Isolate Code Method Location

1 KPWG17 Infected White Grub Kavre, Panauti

2 LLWG18 Infected White Grub Lubhu, Lalitpur

3 KPAI18 Infected Cutworm Kavre, Panauti

4 CBGB18 Galleria bait Chitwan, Bharatpur

5 DNGB18 Galleria bait Dang, Narayanpur

6 DTGB18 Galleria bait Dang, Tulsipur

7 LBBA1 Infected Ladybird beetle Khumaltar, Lalitpur

List of entomo-pathogenic fungus collected in 2074/75

Maintenance and preservation of entomopathogenic fungi (M. anisopliae/B. bassiana).

• Isolation process ongoing (4 and 1 isolate of M. anisopliae and B. Bassiana resp.)

Study on cutworm

• Charaudi, Dhading - Brinjal• Metarizium anisopliae var.

Sorokin @ 1 kg/ropanifound better - only 4%infestation

• Control - 12% infestation incontrol plot.

• The larval population adensity in one square meterarea at 20 cm depth 0.75 ascompared to control 1.75larva per pit.

Granulosis Virus (PhopGV)

20LE/per liter of water spray

The wet-formulated product of PhopGV revealeda LC50-value of 0.30 (CL95%:0.25-0.35) LE ton-1

potato, independent of the talcum applicationrate.

• Dust formulation of sweet flag (sweet flag 2 gm/kg tuber) andtalcum formulation of PhopGV 20 LE/ kg (5 gm/kg tuber) was foundeffective to store potato tuber for 3 months against PTM.

Potato tuber moth management in storage

• Major white grub species damaging potato at Sindhupalchowk

district was identified as Maladera affinis (Blanchard),

Holotricha sp., Melolantha sp. and Heteronychus sp.

• Barley formulated different strain of Metarhizium anisopliae

@ 1 kg/ropani and chemical insecticide (Chlorantraniliprole

0.4 G – 0.5 kg/ropani and carbofuran 3 G – 1 kg/ropani) were

able to reduce white grub damage significantly

White grub management

Orgilus lepidus

Copidosoma koehleri

Aphids successfully controlled by the ladybird beetle with about 2 beetles per tillers in late season.

Cumulative survival rate of PTM to the extract of sweet flag atdifferent concentration in vial bioassay. Source of sweet flag(A=Nepal, B=Korea)

Residual effect of the sweet flagpowder up to 3 month (3 timeinoculation with neonate) againstPTM. (A= first inoculation-onemonth, B=second inoculation-2month, C=third inoculation- 3 month,KC=Korean commercial)

White grub

• 25 kg powdered M. anisopliae + 1.25 x 109 infective juvenile

• 64 and 44 % infested larvae after 3 moth's in two location of ILAM than control

Bio-control agents and host insects maintained at Entomology Division.

S N Scientific name

1 Trichogramma chilonis (Parasitoid)

2 Trichogramma japonica (Parasitoid)

3 Chrysoperla carnea (General predator)

4 Orgilus lepidus (Parasitoid of PTM)

5 Copidosoma koehleri (Parasitoid of PTM)

Host Insects

6 Corcyra cephalonica

7 Phthorimeae operculella

Tricho-cards distributed to NMRP- Rampur, SRP- Jitpur, Regional Agriculture Directorate of Pokhara and Farmers.

Cow pea aphid (Aphis craccivora Aphididae: Himiptera)

Mass rearing technology development for major predators and parasitoids

In situ maintenance of Aphelinus maliof Eriosoma lanigerum

Varietal screening against BPH

Mass rearing of BPH

Tarahara-1 and NR-601-9 moderately tolerant against BPH

(A)

(B)

Varietal screening of potato for Red ant

Among the 46 potato genotypes tested, 22 were rated to be less damaged ones, 18 were rated to be moderately damaged ones, and 6 were rated to be highly damaged ones

Varietal crop screening against wheat pest

In late plated wheat the aphid thrust was highest in NL 1363

• 2-4 m length

• 20-100cm breadth

• White grease

• 2-3 time to and from movement right above potato plant

• 40 to 70 time after potato emergence at every 5 days

Drenching (1:4 in 1 MAG and 2 MAG ) of one month fermentedBanmara in cow urine was found effective for highest (21.57 mt/ha)fresh rhizome yield and lowest (0.07 mt/ha) rhizome fly infectedrhizome yield.

Ginger Rhizome fly

Storage Entomology

Grain moth and weevil management on stored maize• A. calamus dust @ 25g/kg was

effective against S. zeamais for 230 days,

• Storage containers -Aluminium container with A. calamus treatment was 28 times better than jute bag without botanical treatment (82.5%) in term of grain damage

Toxicology Extraction facility RBPR technique

Figure: set of experiment for RBPR

Invasive weed management

• Water hyacinth management – by importing and utilizing Neochetina bruchi and N. eichhorniae from ARS/USDA, Florida

• Parthenium management – by Zygogramma bicolorata

Neochetina eichhorniae Water hycinth(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (Eichhornia

Zygogramma bicolorata

Status of Plant Protection in Organic Agricultural Farming in Nepal• Ram BabuPaneru, Sunil Aryal and Yagya Prasad Giri

Comprehensive review on:•Some of the mechanical means

Hand picking of egg masses and their early larvae, Shaking or beating of whole plant or branches, Banding, wire gauge screenings, trenching, trapping (light traps, lure traps, sticky traps and rat traps) are being used by farmers for plant protection.

Cultural practicesweeding and destruction of crop refugebalance dose use of manures, crop rotation, mixed cropping, differed timings of planting, Tillage practices and thinning and pruning are some of the cultural practices.

•Biopesticides•Botanicals•Insect behavior modifying method

• For sustainability, proven native bio-pesticides needs promotional special encouraging package for

– production,

– marketing and

– use.

• Organic product certification rules and pricingsystem should be enforced with due emphasis.

• For organic agriculture:

– Enforcement of effective act, rules, directives, guidelines and working procedures.

Conclusion

Thank you