Evaluation of different insecticides for the suppression of rice leaf folder and their impact on rice yield under field condition

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Adaptive Research Farm in Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan, over three crop seasons (Kharif-2020, 2021, and 2022). The goal was to assess both new and existing insecticides' effectiveness against leaf folders in rice crops. The results showed that all the experimental units treated with insecticides successfully reduced leaf folder damage and populations, with significant variations among them. Over three years, the insecticides Chlorantraniliprole, Flubendiamide, Fipronil, Gamma-cyhalothrin, and Lambda-cyhalothrin caused varying levels of pest mortality, ranging from 44.0% to 90.2%. Chlorantraniliprole had the most significant impact, with a mortality rate of 89.0% to 94.1%, followed by Flubendiamide (84.6% to 90.4%) and Fipronil (72.2% to 87.0%). Lambda-cyhalothrin had the lowest effect, with a mortality rate of 29.0% to 53.5% over the control treatment across all three years. The application of insecticides significantly improved grain yield, productive tillers, and paddy yield compared to the control. In terms of paddy yield, Chlorantraniliprole treatment had the highest production with yields of 4293.3, 3583.0, and 4540.0 kgha^-1 in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022. It was followed by Flubendiamide (4166.7, 3566.7, and 4476.7 kgha^-1) and Fipronil (4030.3, 3483.3, and 4493.3 kgha^-1) for the respective years. The lowest paddy yield was observed in the check plot, with yields of 3650.0, 3200, and 3973.3 kgha^-1 over the three consecutive crop seasons.