1ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture, Rangreth190007, Srinagar, UT of J&K, India
*Email: mabas.shah@icar.gov.in (corresponding author):
The efficacy of neonicotinoid insecticides was evaluated for managing green apple aphid (GAA), Aphis pomi, in apple orchards, compared to traditional organophosphates. Organophosphates showed limited knockdown effects (51.51-68.12% reduction over control) and dropped below 50% efficacy by 7 and 14 days after treatment (DAT). In contrast, imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 0.04% reduced GAA populations by 87.3091.18% at 7 DAT and 73.59-74.76% at 14 DAT. Thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 0.02% achieved 79.69-79.95% and 69.76-72.02% reductions at 7 and 14 DAT, respectively. Thiacloprid 240 SC @ 0.04% showed neither significant knockdown nor residual effect. Bifenthrin 8% SC @ 0.075% showed moderate efficacy against GAA, with better initial knockdown than sustained control. Neem oil 1500 ppm @ 0.25% gave good initial control but lacked persistence at 14 DAT (52.34-58.90%). Among combination products, thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin (12.6% + 9.5% ZC @ 0.04%) and imidacloprid + lambda-cyhalothrin (6% + 4% @ 0.06%) maintained significant control up to 14 DAT. The results support replacing organophosphates with newer chemistries like neonicotinoids. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of organophosphate insecticides should be discontinued and switch over to insecticides like neonicotinoids etc. is recommended.
Aphis pomi, synthetic pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, organophosphates, insecticide resistance, efficacy, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, bifenthrin, thiacloprid, neem oil, lamda cyahalothirn, persistence
