White Grub (<i>Leucopholis coneophora</i> Burmeister) Management in Mid-Hill Region of Meghalaya

Abstract

White grubs are one of the most damaging soil insect pests inflicting economic losses in groundnut cultivation in India. The white grub Leucopholis coneophora (Burmeister) is a polyphagous pest of coconut and intercrops. However, in the mid-hill region of Meghalaya, the occurrence of this species was recorded, which calls for an investigation. Also, there is a need to develop location-specific and easily adoptable climate-ready technologies before it attains pest status. In this context, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of few insecticides and bioformulations with different methods of application. Results showed that seed treatment with imidacloprid 17.8SL @ 3ml/ kg seeds proved to be the most effective by exhibiting the lowest grub incidence (0.17 grubs/ 12 sq m plot) and minimum plant infestation (1.82%). For bioformulations, field spraying with Metarrhizium anisopliae (1x108 spores/ml @5ml/ l) was found to be superior over Beauveria bassiana at the same dose. These results will aid in formulating an ecofriendly IPM strategy for white grubs in this climate-resilient region of India.