Author(s):

Jaswinder Kaur, Dewa Ram Bajya and Pradyumn Kumar

Abstract: Studies on intercropping cowpea in maize (2:1) as a tool of habitat manipulation for management of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) in maize was conducted during Kharif, 2010 and 2011 at the farm of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Five plant protection measures viz., seed treatment with imidacloprid @ 7ml/kg seed; foliar spray with endosulfan @ 2ml/litre of water at 10 and 20 DAG; cabaryl @ 2.5g/l and NSKE @ 12.5 g/l were evaluated and compared with intercropping of cowpea. During 2010, the least plant infestation (2.08 percent) was observed in maize intercropped system. The percent plant infestation was highest (1.51) in seed treatment plot while the plants were found free of Chilo infestation where cowpea was intercropped alongwith the seed treatment during kharif-2011. The intercropped maize recorded less LIR (1.09) than that of maize plants protected with NSKE (1.12) during 2011. Similarly LIR (1.20) recorded in maize cowpea system was less than LIR in seed treatment (1.58) and endosulfan spray (1.36) during 2010. The severity of plant injury in terms of LIR and dead hearts was recorded least in cowpea treatments in both the years. The yield of maize was maximum (4.73t/ha) in case of seed treatment +cowpea intercropping system in 2011. More yield (1.88 t/ha) obtained with seed treatment than 1.75 t/ha obtained from intercropped maize during kharif, 2010 may be because of the phytotonic effects of imidacloprid, but the yield was adequately compensated with the yield of cowpea pods.

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