Imidacloprid smearing: A new technique to control early sucking insect pests of cotton
An experiment was carried out at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Raichur, Karnataka India, during 1999 2002, to evaluate the bioefficacy of imidacloprid 17.8 SL as both stem and top growing shoots smearing against early sucking insect pests of cotton under irrigated condition. Monocrotophos 36 SL and imidacloprid 17.8 SL at different dosages were evaluated as smearing on stem and growing shoots of the cotton plants. Three years results indicated that imidacloprid 17.8 SL water (1 ml and 20 ml) treatment proved to be best in reducing the early sucking insect pests like leaf hoppers, thrips and aphids without affecting the natural predatory population like spiders, Chrysopa, coccinellids etc. The cost of the application was less than spraying. The role of this technique in integrated pest management is dis