The present work entitled “Biorational management of major insect-pests with special reference to tomato fruit borer, (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner)” was carried out at Hi-tech farm, in RMD College of Agriculture & Research Station, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh during the Rabi season of 2024-25. In this study, several biorational treatments were compared. Chlorantraniliprole had the lowest rate of tomato fruit borer infestation (4.07%) followed by Bacillus thuringiensis (5.36%), Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (6.58%), and Metarhizium anisopliae (7.20%), Beauveria bassiana (7.71%), Verticillium lecanii (7.95%). Chlorantraniliprole > Bacillus thuringiensis> Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus > Metarhizium anisopliae > Beauveria bassiana > Verticillium lecanii > Control plot was the order of the effective treatment. Among the evaluated treatments, Chlorantraniliprole, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus were the most effective.

Biorational treatments, insecticides, Chlorantraniliprole, Bacillus thuringiensis

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), belonging to the family Solanaceae is the most important vegetable commonly cultivated both for fresh market and processing. It originated in tropical America. It is a significant crop cultivated in tropical and subtropical climate. Tomato fruit comprise water (93.1%), fat (0.3g), calorie (23), vitamin ‘A’ (320 I.U), vitamin ‘B1’ (0.07 mg), vitamin ‘B2’(0.01mg), carbohydrates (3.6%), nicotinic acid (0.4 mg), vitamin ‘C’(31mg), fibre (0.7%), calcium (20 mg), phosphorus (36 mg), protein (1.9%), and iron (0.8 mg). Tomato also tops the vegetable in canned products. It is also used in salad, ketchup, puree, sauces, and other processed foods (Singh et al. 2023). The production and quality of tomato fruits are significantly impacted by a range of insect pests that infest the crop at various growth stages. Although there are several pests affecting tomatoes, some cause significant economic damage. Major insect pests include the fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera, and various sucking pests such as whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover), and thrips (Frankliniella schultzei Trybom). The, fruit borer Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a highly destructive pest causing significant yield losses in tomato (Muthukumaran and Selvanarayanan 2013; Habib et al., 2022). Additional pests include Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell), serpentine leaf miner (Liriomyza trifolii Burgess), and tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta Meyrick) (Kachave et al., 2020).

The main mechanisms of action of Bacillus spp. Involve  the production and release of antibiotics, toxins, siderophores, and lytic enzymes, as well as the induction of systemic resistance. Currently, various commercial formulations utilize the strains of the genus Bacillus as an active ingredient due to their colonization capacity, ease of reproduction, and high persistence associated with the formation of endospores. Endospore formation is of particular importance, as it enables these bacteria to survive under adverse climatic conditions. However, the efficacy and performance of these products in commercial tomato production remain unknown. The population dynamics of different insect pests and their natural enemies were observed significantly influenced by weather parameters and the damage caused by these insect pests are affected by fluctuation in abiotic factors (Singh et al., 2023).  The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of biorational products in controlling diseases in greenhouse tomato production. The ultimate goal was to incorporate these tactics into an integrated disease management system for commercial tomato production (Esquivel-Cervantes et al. 2022).

Excessive reliance on synthetic insecticides for its management has resulted in cross-resistance and multiple resistance development in H. armigera. Among the alternative management options, organic manures, botanical pesticides, and biopesticides are considered effective and eco-friendly alternatives to manage pest populations below the economic threshold level (ETL) while reducing pesticides residues in food. However, the efficacy is often limited due to rapid   photodegradation of their active compounds under field conditions. Therefore, studies were undertaken to stabilize neem-based compounds with other botanicals namely pungam and sweet-flag biopesticides namely HaNPV, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), spinosad and Pseudomonas florescens application in pot culture experiments to ascertain their use in eco-friendly pest management and their safety to egg parasitoid, Trichogram ma chilonis Ishii (Sathish et al., 2009).

The experiment was conducted at Raj Mohini Devi College of Agriculture and Research Station, Ajirma, Ambikapur, District Surguja (C.G.) during the September month of 2023-2024 year. The pre-treatment observations were recorded from randomly selected five plants at each treatment and the total number of fruit borer infected plants were counted by visual observation after application of the treatment. To determine fruit borer infestation the count was taken one day before the first spray and 3, 5 and 7 days after each spray, second application was applied at 15 days interval of first spray. The treatments were sprayed two times in the same manner as mentioned earlier and data was be interpreted through Randomized block design.

Experimental details:

Crop:                                     Tomato

Variety:                                  Saaho

Season:                                   Rabi

Spacing:                                 50 × 60cm.

Plot size:                                2.7 × 4.5m2

Date of Sowing:                    13/10/2024

Date of transplanting:           16/11/2024

Treatment:                             7 

Replication:                           3

Design:                                 Randomized Block Design (RBD)

Table 1: Treatment details.

Fruit borer damage (%) =

A. First spray against tomato fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera)

All the biopesticides were found significantly superior over untreated control in minimizing the incidence of tomato fruit borer at all the days of observations after the first application of biopesticides.

Day before first spray. The data present in (Table 2) revealed that pre-treatment population Helicoverpa armigera was found uniform in experimental area with 10.21% to 12.88% infestation as the data are statistically non-significant.

Three days after first spraying. Third day after the first spray, T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) recorded the minimum infestation at 3.11% fruit infestation, statistically similar to, T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L) with a infestation of 4.07 % fruit infestation, T4 (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L) showed a infestation of 5.96%, T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 6.42%, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 6.66% and T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L)  had 6.81%. In contrast, T7 the untreated control plot recorded a higher fruit infestation at 12.54%.

Seven days after first spraying. Seven days after post first biopesticide spray T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) displayed the lowest infestation at 5.17%/5 plants, statistically comparable to T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L) at 7.13%/5 plants. The remaining treatments followed a sequential pattern with statistically comparable results. Specifically, T4 Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L showed 8.01%/5 plants fruit infestation, T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 8.66%/5 plants, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 9.26% and T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L) recorded 9.43%. These treatments were statistically comparable. The control group T7 recorded the highest fruit infestation at 13.27%, significantly inferior to all tested biopesticide treatments.

Ten days after first spraying. Ten days after post first spray, T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) recorded the minimum fruit infestation at 4.11%/5 plants, statistically similar to T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L with a fruit infestation of 5.12% /5 plants. T4 (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L) showed a fruit infestation of 6.10%/5 plants, T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 6.54%/5 plants, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 7.31%/5 plants and T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L) had 7.66%/5 plants. In contrast, T7 the untreated control plot recorded a higher fruit infestation at 13.38%/5 plants.

Twelve days after first spraying. Twelve days after post first biopesticide spray T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) displayed the lowest fruit infestation at 5.09%/5 plants, statistically comparable to T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L) at 6.14%/5 plants. The remaining treatments followed a sequential pattern with statistically comparable results. Specifically, T4 Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L showed 7.23%/5 plants fruit infestation, T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 8.18%/5 plants, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 8.39% and T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L) recorded 8.86%. These treatments were statistically comparable. The control group T7 recorded the highest fruit infestation at 13.95%, significantly inferior to all tested biopesticide treatments.

B. Second spray against tomato fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera) 

The information regarding the fruit infestation of Helicoverpa armigera following the second spray was illustrated in (Table 1). All the biorational treatments exhibited significant superiority over the untreated control in reducing the fruit infestation of tomato fruit borer. The caused by Helicoverpa armigera decreased on the 3rd, 7th, 10th and 12th days after spraying.

Day before Second spray. The data present in (Table 2) revealed that pre-treatment fruit infestation of a Helicoverpa armigera was found uniform in experimental area with 11.87% to 14.16% fruit infestation as the data are statistically non-significant.

Third days after second spraying. Third day after the second spray, T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) recorded the minimum fruit infestation at 4.97%/5 plants, statistically similar to T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L) with a fruit infestation of 6.87%/5 plants. T4 (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L) showed a fruit infestation of 7.74%/5 plants, T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 8.59%/5 plants, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 9.40% and T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L) had 9.69%/5 plants. In contrast, T7 the untreated control plot recorded a higher fruit infestation at 14.27%/5 plants.

Seventh days after second spraying. Seven days after post second biopesticide spray T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) recorded the minimum fruit infestation at 3.03%/5 plants, demonstrating superiority and statistical parity with T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L) at 4.28%/5 plants, and T4 (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L) with a fruit infestation of 5.61%/5 plants. T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 6.01%, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 6.62%, and T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108 CFUs/ml @10ml/L) had 6.83%/5 plants. These treatments effectively reduced fruit infestation compared to T7 the untreated control plot which recorded 14.40% fruit infestation.

Ten days after second spraying. Ten days after post second spray, T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) recorded the minimum fruit infestation at 3.15%/5 plants, statistically similar to T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L) with a fruit infestation of 4.23%/5 plants. T4 (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L) showed a fruit infestation of 5.41%/5 plants, T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 6.06%/5 plants, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 6.56%/5 plants and  T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L) had 6.68%/5 plants. In contrast, T7 the untreated control plot recorded a higher fruit infestation at 14.63%/5 plants.

Twelve days after second spraying. Twelve days after post second biopesticide spray T5 (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L) displayed the lowest fruit infestation at 4.12%/5 plants, statistically comparable to T3 (Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L) at 5.01%/5 plants. The remaining treatments followed a sequential pattern with statistically comparable results. Specifically, T4 (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L) showed 6.57%/5 plants fruit infestation, T2 (Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L) recorded 7.11%/5 plants, T1 (Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L) demonstrated 7.42% and T6 (Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L) recorded 7.64%/5 plants. These treatments were statistically comparable. The control group T7 recorded the highest fruit infestation at 14.85%, significantly inferior to all tested biopesticide treatments.

Over all mean. Over all mean statistical analysis of all first and second spray observations (3, 7, 10 and 12 DAS) showed that all insecticidal treatment was found to be significantly effective compared to control (13.92 % fruit infestation/5 plant) in reducing the fruit infestation.

chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC @ 0.4 ml/L most effective against fruit borer as it recorded the lowest fruit infestation of 4.07% fruit infestation/5 plant followed by, Bacillus thuringiensis 1010 CFU/ml @10ml /L (5.36% fruit infestation/5 plant). However, Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruse 1×109 PIBs/ml @ 2.5 ml/L (6.58% fruit infestation/5 plants), Metarhizium anisopliae 107CFU/ml @ 10ml/L, Beauveria bassiana 109CFU /ml @ 10ml/L, Verticillium lecanii 1×108CFUs/ml @10ml/L was also found effective, as recorded fruit infestation ranged from 7.20% to 7.95% fruit infestation/5 plant and superior over untreated.

Biswas et al. 2020; Halder et al. 2022; Buragohain et al., 2021 reported that Tracer 45SC-treated plots recorded the lowest fruit borer infestation throughout the entire fruiting period, with infection levels of 11.05%, 10.88%, and 11.28% during the early, mid, and late fruiting stages, respectively. 

Kumar et al. (2023) concluded that among different treatments, effective treatments were emamectin benzoate 5 SG @ 12g a.i./ha and indoxacarb 14.5 SC a.i./ha. The indoxacarb 14.5 SC a.i./ha caused significant maximum reduction in the population of pod borer. 

Dedeepya et al. (2023; Gupta et al. (2018) reported that the Neem Seed Kernel Extract proved to be the most effective, followed by Nimbicide, Neem Leaf Extract, HaNPV, Neem Oil, and Bacillus thuringiensis. Among the treatments, Neem Seed Kernel Extract showed the highest cost benefit ratio (C: B) of 1:18.51

Figures in parenthesis are (X+0.5) transformed values, Figures in parenthesis are arcsine transformed DBS=Day before spray

Fig. 1. Efficacy of insecticides against fruit borer infestation  (%)  on tomato crop.

From a pest management perspective, the biorational approach to controlling the tomato fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera) showed promising outcomes. Among the evaluated treatments, Chlorantraniliprole, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus were the most effective. These treatments significantly reduced the overall percentage of fruit infestation. In addition, they support beneficial soil microbial activity, which is vital for sustainable agriculture and long-term soil health.

Sanjani, P.K. Bhagat, K.L. Painkra, G.P. Painkra, Sachin Kumar Jaiswal and Juttu Dhanalakshmi (2026). Biorational Management of Major Insect-Pests with Special Reference to Tomato Fruit Borer, (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner). Biological Forum, 18(2): 60-64.