Ketireddy Swathi, Hem Singh, Gaje Singh, D.V. Singh, Kamal Khilari and Neelesh Kapoor
Abstract
Rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenee), is a major pest of basmati rice. A field study during Kharif 2024 at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, evaluated seven treatments, including botanicals and biopesticides, in a CRBD with three replications. Two sprays were applied at 35 and 60 days after transplanting and leaf damage was recorded at 7, 14 and 21days after spray. Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae consistently minimised leaf damage, followed by Bacillus thuringiensis, Verticillium lecanii, Azadirachtin and Neem oil. Microbial biopesticides showed superior and sustained efficacy, highlighting their potential as eco-friendly agents in integrated leaf folder management, with botanicals serving as supplementary interventions.