Insecticidal potential of home-made neem extract against pod sucking bug, Clavigralla gibbosa (Spinola) in pigeonpea

Multi-location field experiments were conducted in five districts of Punjab (India) during kharif (May-October) 2019 cropping season to evaluate the effect of four doses (1250, 1875, 2500 and 3125 ml ha -1 ) of home-made neem ( Azadirachta indica A. Juss) extract against pod sucking bug, Clavigralla gibbosa , as well as their effect on the grain yield of pigeonpea. The incidence of the pod bug (seven days after spray) and the seed damage were found to be significantly lower in the home-made neem extract treatments as compared with the untreated control (41.99% and 34.25% reduction over the control, respectively). However, none of the home-made neem extract doses was as effective as the synthetic insecticide (deltamethrin) in terms of pest population and seed damage reduction. However, amongst the botanical insecticide treatments, home-made neem extract @ 3125 ml ha -1 excelled in overall performance. This technology is cheap, safe, environment friendly and easy for adoption by limited resource farmers.