Evaluation and Demonstration of selected Insecticides to control chick pea Pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) in Guji Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) production is challenged mostly by the pod borer insect pest in Ethiopia. Pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) is the cosmopolitan and polyphagous insect pests which is more severe in Guji zone.  This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the recently introduced insecticides for effective foliar spray against the H. armigera and to give awareness on the use and effectiveness of the insecticide on chickpea crop at Midlands of Guji zone. The experiment was conducted using one chickpea variety; Habru and three insecticides helerate (350ml/ha), profit 72 %EC and dimethoate (1200-1500ml/ha). The result revealed that insecticides, dimethoate (90.87%) and helerate (88.31%) insecticides were effective against pod borer on percent larval reductions and profit (79.18%) followed. Dimethoate resulted maximum seed yield (1965.95kg/ha) which was the same to helerate (1907.74kg/ha) and minimum seed yield was recorded on untreated check (1041.87). The highest yield advantage was observed on dimethoate (47.00%) followed by helerate (45.39%). The highest benefit cost ratio was recorded on dimethoate (28.2072) sprayed plot whereas the lowest benefit cost ratio was recorded on unsprayed plot (21.3258). Therefore, using the dimethoate insecticides in the production of chickpea when pod borer is challenging is the most profitable to the farmers and other stakeholders of the study area.