Management of Major Insect Pests of Ash Gourd, Benincasa hispida Thunb. with Traps, Biopesticides and Newer Insecticides

Authors: Krishnaveni Mariappan; Ravi Madhaiyan; Allwin Loveson; Suvathi Balu
Management of Major Insect Pests of Ash Gourd, Benincasa hispida Thunb. with Traps, Biopesticides and Newer Insecticides
DOI
10.25125/ijoear-jul-2026-6
DIN
IJOEAR-JUL-2026-6
Abstract

Ash gourd, Benincasa hispida Thunb., is an important vegetable crop, cultivated globally for its medicinal values, and its production is hampered by many insect pests. Therefore, field experiments were conducted to study the efficacy of sticky traps, botanicals and organic pesticides, biopesticides, and newer insecticides against major pests of ash gourd in the farmer's holdings at Kaliyavur village of Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India during Rabi 2018. The results revealed that cylindrical white sticky traps attracted more number of alate forms of Myzus persicae Sulzer, and cylindrical yellow sticky traps attracted more number of adults of Liriomyza trifolii Burgess. Azadirachtin 3000 ppm at 2 mL/L was effective in reducing the insect pests. Beauveria bassiana formulation at 2 g/L was effective against Myzus persicae Sulzer and Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas. Diaphania indica Saunders was controlled by the application of Bacillus thuringiensis at 2 g/L. Newer insecticide molecules were very prominent in managing the major insect pests of ash gourd. The findings of the study will be helpful for the effective management of insect pests of ash gourd.

Keywords
Ash gourd Insect pests Sticky traps Biopesticides Newer molecules Benincasa hispida IPM Botanicals Myzus persicae Aulacophora foveicollis Diaphania indica.
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Introduction

Ash gourd, Benincasa hispida Thunb., is one of the most important vegetable crops, being cultivated throughout the humid tropical and subtropical regions. Ash gourd is mainly grown in India, China, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, and the Caribbean Islands for vegetable and medicinal purposes (Tindall, 1986). Ash gourd fruit constitutes volatile oils, flavonoids, glycosides, proteins, carotenes, vitamins, minerals, and uronic acid. It is a good source of Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B3 (niacin), and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and is also rich in calcium and potassium.

In India, the production of ash gourd is hampered by many insect pests viz., aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover and Myzus persicae Sulzer (Aphididae: Hemiptera); whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Aleyrodidae: Hemiptera); leafhopper, Amrasca devastans Distant (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera); thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thripidae: Thysanoptera); serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii Burgess (Agromyzidae: Diptera); pumpkin caterpillar, Diaphania indica Saunders (Crambidae: Lepidoptera); red pumpkin beetle, Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera); and melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett (Tephritidae: Diptera) (Atwal, 1993; Dhillon et al., 2005; Tamilnayagan et al., 2017a; Tamilnayagan et al., 2017b).

In Tamil Nadu, ash gourd was cultivated in an area of 441 hectares with a production of 8901.28 tonnes and productivity of 20.18 tonnes per hectare during 2016-17 (DES, 2019). Ash gourd growers mainly rely on synthetic chemical pesticides for managing the pests, and indiscriminate usage of chemical insecticides disturbs the ecosystem and leaves harmful pesticide residues which cause health concerns in consumers (Azmi et al., 2006). Hence the present study was undertaken to study the efficacy of sticky traps, botanicals and organic pesticides, biopesticides, and newer insecticides against major pests of ash gourd.

Conclusion

The study tested the efficacy of sticky traps, botanicals and organic pesticides, biopesticides, and newer insecticides against major pests of ash gourd in field conditions. The findings of the study will be helpful in developing Biointensive Pest Management (BIPM) modules for the effective management of insect pests of ash gourd.

Key Recommendations:

  1. Sticky Traps: White sticky traps for monitoring M. persicae (alate forms) and yellow sticky traps for monitoring L. trifolii can be effectively used in IPM programmes.
  2. Botanicals: Azadirachtin 3000 ppm at 2 mL/L was the most effective botanical, followed by Neem Seed Kernel Extract at 5%, for managing multiple pests and recording the highest yield (37.48 t/ha).
  3. Biopesticides: Beauveria bassiana at 2 g/L was effective against M. persicae and A. foveicollis; Metarhizium anisopliae at 2 g/L against L. trifolii; and Bacillus thuringiensis at 2 g/L against D. indica. These can be integrated into organic pest management programmes.
  4. Newer Insecticides: Imidacloprid 17.8 SL at 0.2 mL/L for sucking pests, and Spinosad 45 SC at 0.5 mL/L, Flubendiamide 480 SC at 0.1 mL/L, and Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC at 0.3 mL/L for defoliators and borers, were highly effective and should be recommended to farmers for effective pest management with minimal environmental impact.
  5. Future Research: Long-term studies on the impact of these treatments on natural enemies, and their integration into a comprehensive IPM package, are recommended.

Agriculture Journal IJOEAR Call for Papers

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