Efficacy and Synergistic Effect of Plant Extracts against Red Pumpkin Beetle, Aulacophora Foveicollis Lucas under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract

Red Pumpkin Beetle, Aulacophora Foveicollis is a Polyphagous insect pest that attacks on more than 81 plant species including pumpkin, cucumber and water melon. The adult beetles feed voraciously on leaves, flower buds and flowers (khan et al., 2012). In Pakistan, farmers are totally dependent upon the use of pesticides in order to control A. foveicollis (Lakshmi et al., 2005). However, the excessive application of the synthetic pesticides can enhance insecticide resistance, non-target effects on natural enemies and environmental pollution. Extracts from different plants have been known to possess insecticidal properties against a wide range of insect pests and are the alternatives of synthetic insecticides. (Abdullahi et al., 2004). The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of selected plants extracts for the control of red pumpkin beetle and to check the synergetic effect of deltamethrin using various plant extracts.