Testing <i>Paecilomyces lilacinus</i>, diatomaceous earth and Azadirachta indica alone and in combination against cotton aphid (<i>Aphis gossypii Glover</i>) (Insecta: Homoptera: Aphididae)

Abstract

The efficacy of Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom.) Samson (2.3 × 10,sup>9-1), Azadirachta indica (10 mlL^-1) and the formulation of diatomaceous earth (PyriSec) (3 gL^-1) was tested for the control of cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) (Insecta: Homoptera: Aphididae) both under laboratory and semi-natural conditions. All the tested treatments gave significant control of aphid; however, P. lilacinus in combination with Neem showed the best control of aphids in detached leaf bioassay and semi-natural conditions. The applications of P. lilacinus and DE showed weak knock down effect on the insect pest. Furthermore, an increasing trend in mortality of aphids was observed in all the treatments with an increase in the time intervals. The results of the study clearly indicated that the P. lilacinus may give effective control of the aphids in combination with other eco-friendly control practices.

Key words: Paecilomyces lilacinus, diatomaceous earth, Azadirachta indica, aphid, cotton, insecticidal efficacy.