EVALUATION OF KARATE (Lambdacyhalothrin) INSECTICIDE AND NEEM SEED AQUEOUS EXTRACT LATE APPLICATION SPRAY REGIMES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF Callosobruchus maculatus ON COWPEA IN SAMARU, ZARIA.

Abstract

Different spray regimes of Lambdacyhalothrin (Karate) applied at the recommended rate and Neem seed aqueous extract applied at 10% w/w were evaluated against field- to-store infestation of cowpea by Callosobruchus maculatus in Samaru Zaria. Field and Laboratory trials were conducted in IAR farm, Samaru (11 11’N; 07 38’) in the Northern Guinea Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria and in the Storage Entomology Laboratory of Crop Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 2017 and 2018. A total of six treatments coded in order of increasing spray regimes as T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 with T6 as the chemical independent control. All treatments were replicated four times and laid in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in the field. At the end of the experiment, number of eggs laid on 50 pods from all the treatments were counted and recorded. Harvested pods from all the plots of each treatment were threshed and 500 g of seeds were weighed into 1000 ml kilner and laid in a completely randomized design (CRD) in the storage Entomology Laboratory of crop Protection Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Results obtained showed that NSE spray regimes were not as effective as the synthetic pesticide (Karate) in suppressing C. maculatus oviposition on cowpea pods and seeds, progeny emergence and in the general protection of the cowpea seeds against C. maculatus attack however, both spray regimes of the synthetic pesticide and plant material used, were more effective than the chemical independent control. Karate applied 4X and NSE applied 6X were the most effective treatments observed in the parameters assessed however Karate applied 2X and NSE applied 5X were better than the untreated controlled and are believed to have reduced insecticidal residues.