UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

The present investigation was conducted during the Kharif season of 2024 at the Central Research Farm (CRF), Department of Entomology, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with seven treatments, each replicated three times, along with an untreated control plot. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various chemical insecticides and biopesticides in managing yellow stem borer infestation in paddy. Damage symptoms caused by S. incertulas were assessed one day before spraying and subsequently on the 7^th and 14^th day after insecticide application. Observations focused on typical damage indicators as dead hearts (DH) during the vegetative stage and white earheads (WEH) during the panicle initiation stage. All treatments were found to be significantly more effective than the untreated control. Among the treatments, T₆ – Flubendiamide 20 WG (7.81%) recorded the lowest infestation and proved to be the most effective. This was followed by T₂ – Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (8.88%), T₄ – Cartap Hydrochloride 50 SP (9.94%) and T₇ – Thiamethoxam 25 WG (12.04%). The biopesticide T₅ – Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki showed moderate efficacy (13.00%), while T₁ – Neem oil (16.38%) and T₃ – Beauveria bassiana (1×10⁸ CFU/gm) were less effective. The highest infestation was observed in the untreated control plot (T₀ – 26.99%).