Bitter Gourd, Momordica charantia (L.) a Potential Botanical Pesticide for the Management of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)

Author: Pavan Kumar Annepu, Kota Sathish, Arunsaikumar K., Vavilapalli Rajesh, Lokesh Kondreddi, Snehanjali Boni, Anitha Madapakula and Jaba Jagdish

Download PDF

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of different botanical extracts against fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), under lab conditions at Kanayo F Nawanze Crop Protection Laboratory, ICRISAT, Patancheru. FAW is a transboundary highly destructive pest that continue to spread because it has unique biological characteristics, its high migration and reproductive ability. Its high pestiferous nature poses an immense challenge to Indian agriculture because India is a tropical country that favours high multiplication year-round and reliance on chemicals causes’ pesticides resistance, expensive for farmers and cause potential environmental contamination. Hence authors were focused on locally available bitter gourd extracts to evaluate the insecticidal properties and management of S. frugiperda. The results were revealed that bitter gourd seed, leaf, and pulp extract caused over 62.0, 54.0, 46.0% larval mortality after 72 hours of application. The experiment with three treatments and three replications in completely randomized design (CRD). The study clearly shows that botanical extracts are very effective in controlling FAW under lab bioassays. Bitter gourd extracts that demonstrated high efficacy against FAW larvae could be used in integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for small and marginal holder farmers in semi-arid tropics regions of Asia and Africa.

Keywords

Momordica charantia, Spodoptera frugiperda, Toxicity, and Integrated Pest Management

Conclusion

The experiment demonstrated that bitter gourd treatments influenced various parameters of fall armyworm, including survival rates, larval and pupal periods, physical characteristics of larvae, and adult parameters such as egg period, fecundity, and wing span. Due to the promising biological results, Momordica charantia extracts can be potentially used for the development of new pesticide formulations for the alternative control of S. frugiperda and other pest insects.

References

-

How to cite this article

Pavan Kumar Annepu, Kota Sathish, Arunsaikumar K., Vavilapalli Rajesh, Lokesh Kondreddi, Snehanjali Boni, Anitha Madapakula and Jaba Jagdish (2023). Bitter Gourd, Momordica charantia (L.) a Potential Botanical Pesticide for the Management of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(10): 488-492.