TOXICITY OF FOLIAR INSECTICIDES TO LADYBIRD BEETLE PREDATOR OF GREEN PEACH APHID, MYZUS PERSICAE (SULZER) ON POTATO VARIETIES

Field experiments were conducted in Research Farm of Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan during 2007-09 to develop IPM package for green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) on potato crop having minimum adverse effects on ladybird beetle. The population means of ladybird beetles per 10 plants showed significant effect (P 0.05) for potato varieties (3.1 on Desiree and 3.6 on Kuroda), foliar insecticides (2.9 on Actara and 3.8 on Provado), and foliar insecticide doses (0.9 on labeled dose, 2.7 on reduced dose and 6.5 on zero dose). Both the insecticides at either dosage significantly reduced the ladybird beetle population as compared to Zero dose (6.53). However, plants treated with Provado reduced dose had significantly higher population of ladybird beetles (3.63) as compared to Actara reduced dose (1.67), Provado labeled dose (1.17) and Actara labeled dose (0.63) that did not differ statistically. On average; the yield in tons/hec was significantly higher from Kuroda (13.2) as compared to Desiree (11.6); Provado treated plants (12.9) as compared to Actara (12.0); and labeled (13.4) or reduced (13.4) doses as compared zero doses (10.5). The tuber yield obtained from the plants treated with Provado reduced doses (14.07) and Provado labeled doses (13.95), both being statistically equal, was significantly higher than Actara reduced doses (12.81) and Actara labeled doses (12.79).