The development of resistance in cosmopolitan insect
Helicoverpa armigera
Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) forced
the researchers for alternative control measures. In the present study, insecticidal efficacy of formulations of
Azadirachta indica
, a
Nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV), and new anthranilic diamide insecticide (chlorantraniliprole) formulations was
determined against 2
nd, through 5
th larval instars of
H. armigera collected from diverse geographical locations in the Punjab
province, Pakistan.
Azadirachta indica was applied at 5 μL L
-1; NPV at 2.1 × 10
5 polyhedral occlusion bodies (POB) mL
-1
and chlorantraniliprole at 0.01 μL L
-1, either alone or in combinations with each other. The bioassays were conducted at
27 ± 1 °C and 65 ± 5% relative humidity. The mortality varied greatly among treatments, larval instars, and locations. The
combinations of NPV with
A. indica and chlorantraniliprole caused higher mortality, pupation and produced an additive
effect compared to their application singly in all the tested populations. The population from Rawalpindi was always
susceptible while the Gujranwala was the resistant. The results herein suggest that the effectiveness of NPV and
A. indica
can be improved by the presence of chlorantraniliprole against the larvae of
H. armigera.
