ABSTRACT

Field trials were conducted at Umudike during 2015 and 2016 cropping seasons to determine the efficacy of some plant extracts against field insect pests of mungbean, Vigna radiata Wilczek. The plant extracts used'were; (scent leaf) Ocimum gratissimum, (Neem leaf) Azadirachta indica, (Bitter leaf) Vernonia amygdalina, (Bulbs of Garlic) Allium sativum, Rhizome of (turmeric) Curcuma longa, Peels of (Plantain) Musa paradisiacal and seeds of (Negro peppe) Xylopia aethiopica. (Karate) Lambdacyhalothrin E.C at 50 ml was introduced as a check in the trials. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Data were collected weekly on the insect population densities. Plant height, number of mosaic infected plants, yield and yield components. The results indicated that all the treatments were effective against mungbean insects pest. {Aphids craccivora, (white fly) Bemisia tabaci, Jassids (Amrasca biguttula, biguttula) and (grasshopper) Zonocerus variegatus which were identified on mungbean. There was a significant (P>0.05) reduction in the population density of insects in the plots treated with plant extracts and karate in 2015 and 2016 cropping seasons. Significantly, lower pod damage was recorded in the plant extracts which compared favourably with (Karate) Lambdacyhalothrin with the exception of O. gratissimum that recorded 10.70 % pod damage in 2015 cropping season. The population densities of grasshopper in 2015 and white fly in 2016 was significantly lower in the treated plots. Seed yield of 55.00 kg/ha was recorded in Azadirachta indica in 2015 and 42.33 kg/ha in C. longa in 2016. There was no significant difference between the plant extracts and karate which recorded significantly higher yield when compared with the control. X.aethiopia had the lowest percentage mosaic virus infestation (3.46) which was significantly different from the control (44.39) which recorded the highest incidence. (Karate) Lambdacyhalothrin recorded 4.71 Mosaic virus incidence which did not differ significantly (P>0.05) from the plant extracts. All the plant extracts used had insecticidal potential against the insect pests ofmungbean. It is therefore recommended that these plant extracts be used for the control of mungbean insect pests to achieve sustainable production, food security and quality nutrition.