Bio-intensive Prophylactic Integrated Pest Management in Castor for Arid Environment

Castor ( Ricinus communis L.) is commercially valued for ricinoleic acid and non-edible oil as a lubricant, printing inks, laxative, solvent, biodiesel, etc. Alternaria blight, powdery mildew, charcoal root rot and vascular wilt are major diseases that cause substantial yield losses under high temperatures and drought conditions. Whitefly and jassids are serious insect pests of castor consecutively for the preceding 3 years in an arid environment. To keep these major pests below the economic threshhold, prophylactic bio-intensive integrated pest management module is developed. Therein, additive/synergistic effect encompassing host plant resistance with soil application of vermicompost @ 2 tonnes/ha and neem cake @ 250 kg/ha followed by seed treatment with Trichoderma viride @ 5 g/kg seed, two sprays of neem oil @ 5 ml/l and one spray each of Malathion 50% EC @ 2.5 l/ha and Dinocap @ 1 l/ha resulted in the maximum seed yield with the maximum net benefits in both the varieties Jwala 48-1 and GCH-7 of Rs 13,527 and Rs 9807, respectively.