SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF RED SPIDER MITE (TETRANYCHUS SP.) INFESTING EGGPLANT (SOLANUM MELONGENA L.) AT FIELD LEVEL

The eggplant crop is susceptible to various insect and mite pests of which red spider mite, To•anychus sp. (Tetranychidae : Acarina) is most predominant. Control of this pest by using chemical insecticides could lead to human health hazards arising from toxic residues in the fruit. One botanical insecticide azadirachtin (Neemactin 0.15 EC) @ 2.5 ml/L, and four botanical extracts, tobacco (Niciliana tahacum) leaf extract @ 10.0%, Polygonum hydropiper floral part extract a, 10.0%. Pongamia pinnata fruit extracts@ 10.0%, and Spilanthes paniculata floral parts extract@ 5.0%, and one treatment containing mixture of azadirachtin and propergite (@ 2.5 ml + 1.5 ml/L were evaluated and compared with the ability of propergite (Omite 57 EC), a chemical insecticide rib, 3m I/ L to control the mite pest, Tetranychus sp.. Propergite treatment resulted in the best suppression of mite population (88.55% suppression), closely followed by mixed formulation of botanical pesticide, azadirachtin and chemical pesticide, propergite (85.55% suppression). However among the bio-pesticides including plant extracts Polygonum flower extract (at 10% concentration) was the most effective providing moderate to higher control (51.04% suppression). Azadirachtin individually did not produce good results (moderate mite suppression) but when used as a mixture with lower dose (1.5 ml/L) of chemical insecticide, propergite provided better results recording more than 85 % suppression.