Efficacy of Plant Based Insecticides in Control of Leaf Defoliators (Podagrica uniformis Jacoby and Nisotra sjostedti Jacoby (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)

The insecticidal efficacy of aqueous extracts of R. communis L. and Z. officinales L. was tested in a field study for the control of two important leaf defoliators (Podagrica uniformis and Nisotra sjostedti of okra). The extracts were applied at 10% (w/v) and sprayed every week for five consecutive weeks. R. communis significantly reduced (P<0.05) abundance of the pests on the 2nd day after spraying and increased the yield of okra. Numbers of fruits and weight yields were significantly higher in plots treated with R. communis compared to plots treated with Z. officinales and the untreated control. R. communis had the same weight yield with Karate (synthetic insecticides). The results indicated that R. communis could be used to control Podagrica uniformis and Nisotra sjostedti of okra.