Bio-control agents and Bio pesticides in Tomato IPM Biological control may be defined as the use of natural enemies to suppress the pest species. The term natural enemy refers principally to the parasites and predators (mostly other insects) but may also include disease organisms. Biological control came into prominence in recent times owing to reasons that it is comparatively non-polluting, environmentally safe and economically viable. The high doses of insecticides and pesticides used, poses a problem of pollution, residual toxicity etc. To minimize the losses caused by these pests and diseases, and integrated pest management programme is adopted and the Biological control constitute an important part of it.

Predators Predators of insects are animals which capture and consume them as a source of food. Many are other insects, but some other animals also feed on insects, either exclusively or a component of a more mixed diet. The predatory habit is quite widespread among different insect groups, and some species exists in most orders. Several families of beetles are largely predatory in habit. Among these the lady birds are important as they attack mainly aphids, scale insects, and mealy bugs, many of which are serious pests of plants. A few orders of insects such as Neuroptera are exclusively predatory. Spiders which are close relatives to insects are exclusively predatory. The predatory habit is also quite common in mites.

Predatory diversity in Tomato Adult, Cheilomenes sexmaculata Adult, Coccinella septumpunctata Grub, Coccinella septumpunctata

Grub, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Adult, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

Adult, Chrysoperla carnea Grub, Chrysoperla carnea Syrphid Grub Syrphid adult

Parasitoids Most parasitoids, with the exception of Tachinids, are very tiny and almost impossible to identify for the average grower. Instead what should be looked for are the results of the host pest being parasitized. Aphids become brown and bloated, most other hosts become blackened or dark in color when parasitized. Aphidius spp are small wasps, typically less than 1/8 inch long. The female wasp lays an egg inside an aphid, the egg hatches and the larva eats the aphid from the inside. The genus Aphidius contains many species that provide biological control of aphids in vegetable crops. Trichogramma spp. Adult wasps lay their eggs within a recently laid host egg, and as the wasp larva develops, it eats the host embryo, causing the egg to turn black. This wasp parasitizes tomato fruitworm eggs as well as many other caterpillar pest species.

Parasitoid complex in Tomato Adult, Trichogramma sp Adult, Adult, Chelonus blackburni

Fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera Bio-control agents and Bio pesticides against important insect pest of tomato Fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera Conserve and augment natural predators and parasites for effective control of the pest. Inundative release of egg parasite, Trichogramma spp., at 6.25 cc/ha at 15 days interval 3 times from 45 DAS egg-larval parasite, Chelonus blackburnii and the predator Chrysoperla 1,00,000/ha at 6th, 13th and 14th week after sowing. ULV spray of NPV at 3 x 10 12 POB /ha with 10% cotton seed kernel extract, 10% crude sugar, 0.1% each of Tinopal and Teepol for effective control of Helicoverpa armigera spraying should be in the evening hours at 7th and 12th week after sowing or Spray B. thuringiensis 2 g/lit. The combination product of NPV1.5×1012POB/ha+Malathion and NPV (1.5×1012 POB/ha) +Azadirachtin 2% are also effective to control the pest.

Eucelatoria bryani, Campoletes sp, Chelonus sp. Important Natural Enemies of Helicoverpa armigera Eucelatoria bryani, Campoletes sp, Chelonus sp. Egg parasitoid: Trichogramma pretiosum, Telenomus heliothidae. Larval parasitoid: Eucelatoria bryani, Hyposeter didymotor, Pupal parasitoid: Brachymeria sp., Goniophthalamus halli Pathogen: Beauveria bassiana, Bacillus thuringiensis, Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus.

Bio pesticides Neem seed for NSKE NPV Infected H. armigera larvae

Leaf eating caterpillar, Spodoptera litura Spray SlNPV at 250 LE along with teepol 1ml/lit in evening hrs. Spray NSKE 5%, spray insecticide during evening hrs. Prepare poison bait with rice bran 5 kg, jaggery 0.5 kg, carbaryl 0.5 kg, water 3lit/ha, spread the bait in evening hrs. Leaf miner, Liriomyza trifoli Spray NSKE 3%. Collect and destroy mined leaves. Natural Enemy Hemiptarsonenus varicornis, Diglyphus beginii, Opius dissitus. Thrips, Frankiniella schultzei Release first instar larvae of Chrysoperla carnea @ 10,000/ha and encourage coccinellid predator.

Aphids, Aphis gossypii Conserve natural enemies like Coccinellids, syrphids, Chrysoperla carnea during early crop growth period insecticidal spray need not be given at this stage. Spray 5% NSKE or neem oil 1% during pre squaring crop stage. Release predator Chrysoperla carnea @ 2000/acre for two times at fortnightly interval. Jassids, Amrasca devastans Spray 5% neem seed kernel extract or neem oil spray @ 1%. Release predator Chrysoperla carnea @ 2000/acre for two times at fortnightly interval. Natural enemy Chrysoperla sp and Spiders like Distina albida prey on both nymphs and adults. Mealy bug, Ferisia virgata Encourage the activity of predators like C. sexmaculata, B. suturalis, S. coccivora and C.montrouzieri. Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Spray NSKE 5% and neem oil 5 ml or fish oil rosin soap at 1 kg in 40 litres of water (or) in combination with recommended dose of insecticide (2 ml/litre of water) is found effective. Release predator Chrysoperla carnea @ 2000/acre for two times at fortnightly interval.

Summary Biological control may be defined as the use of natural enemies to suppress the pest species. Predators of insects are animals which capture and consume them as a source of food. Among the predators the lady birds are important as they attack mainly aphids, scale insects, and mealy bugs, many of which are serious pests of plants. Both adults and larvae feed primarily on aphids and occasionally on whiteflies and other soft-bodied insects and their eggs. Chrysoperla carnea larvae prey upon a wide variety of small insects including thrips, mites, whiteflies, aphids, small caterpillars, leafhoppers, and insect eggs. Adult syrphid flies feed on pollen and nectar while the larval stage feeds on aphids and other soft-bodied insects and play an important role in suppressing populations of phytophagous insects. Larvae move along plant surfaces, lifting their heads to grope for prey, seizing them and sucking them dry and discarding the skins. A single syrphid larva can consume hundreds of aphids in a month. Not all syrphid fly larvae are predaceous, some species feed on fungi.

The genus Aphidius contains many species that provide biological control of aphids in vegetable crops. Trichogramma spp. Adult wasps lay their eggs within a recently laid host egg, and as the wasp larva develops, it eats the host embryo, causing the egg to turn black. This wasp parasitizes tomato fruitworm eggs as well as many other caterpillar pest species. Inundative release of egg parasite, Trichogramma spp., at 6.25 cc/ha at 15 days interval 3 times from 45 DAS. Egg-larval parasite, Chelonus blackburnii and the predator Chrysoperla 1,00,000/ha at 6th, 13th and 14th week after sowing. ULV spray of NPV at 3 x 10 12 POB /ha with 10% cotton seed kernel extract, 10% crude sugar, 0.1% each of Tinopal and Teepol for effective control of Helicoverpa armigera Spray SlNPV at 250 LE along with teepol 1ml/lit in evening hrs for Spodoptera litura. Spray 5% NSKE or neem oil 1% during pre squaring crop stage. Release predator Chrysoperla carnea @ 2000/acre for two times at fortnightly interval for soft bodied insects.