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Agric. Sci. Digest, 29 (2) : ............, 2009 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE
www.arccjournals.com / indianjournals.com

COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT BIOASSAY TECHNIQUES

FOR LEAF FOLDER ON POTTEDRICE PLANTS
Harpal Singh Randhawa
Regional Research Station, PAU,
Gurdaspur

ABSTRACT
Rice leaf folder is the serious insect-pest of rice crop in Punjab. The native isolates of Bacillus
thuringiensis caused more larval mortality of rice leaf folder on the plants which were sprayed
with the help of an atomizer over the leaf dip method. Atomizer also had more advantage because
it required less labor and time.

Key words : Rice, Leaf folder, Isolates and Bt.

The rice, Oryza sativa Linnaeus is the staple
food for more than half of the world’s population. In
Punjab, this crop is cultivated in an area of over
26.25 lakh hectares, with an annual production of
101.38 lakh tones (Anonymous 2008). Among
different physical and biological constrains, insect-
pests namely leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis
(Guenee), yellow stem borer, Scripophaga incertulus
(Walker) and white backed plant hopper, Sogatella
furcifera (Horvath) devour the crop severely
and contribute substantially to yield loss
(Anonymous 2008).
Farmers usually resort to repeated insecticides
to control these insect-pests, due to which it has
developed résistance to many conventional
insecticides in Japan (Xiao et al 1998).
Environmentally safe alternative strategies are,
therefore needed to manage this pest. One of these
could be biological control through microbial agents.
The perceived advantages of control through
microbial agents are human safety, high pesticidal
activity coupled with safety for the beneficial
organism and reduction in chemical load on the
environment. In fact, Bt at present is the most widely
used microbial agent for lepidopterous insect
(stem borer and leaffolder of paddy) control. (Karim
et al 1999).
Later on, many different types of biopesticides
based on Bt were introduced into the market.
Simultaneously, intensive screening program were
undertaken in western countries to find out new
strains of Bt that could kill wider spectrum of insects.
For testing newer pesticides against different
insect-pests of rice under controlled conditions it is
very difficult to make bioassay studies as compared
to other crops because rice crop requires more water
for normal growth. For bioassay studies in other crops
we mostly cut/pluck the leaves from the plants and
dip in insecticidal solutions and release the test insects
for different periods. But this method is not applicable
in rice crop because the cut/plucked leaves dry
immediately and the release test insect-pests may
die due to starvation. The desired results cannot be
achieved because the death of the test insect due to
starvation may cause confusion. The leaf dip method
in potted plants of rice requires extra care, time and
labour. Therefore during the present studies for
comparing the efficacy of different native isolates of
Bacillus thuringiensis at different concentrations, two
different techniques for application of Bt isolates on
potted plants of rice under controlled laboratory
conditions against rice leaffolder (C. medinalis)
were used.
For raising nursery, seeds of susceptible rice
cv. TN1 were sown in earthen pots filled with well
puddled clay soil. The earthen pots were watered as
and when required. The 25-30 days old seedlings
were transplanted in the earthen pots having well
puddled soil. The pots were watered regularly and
74 AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE DIGEST
Table 1. Effect of two different methods for in the rearing cages and the cages were cleaned as
application of B. thuringiensis isolates on and when required.
larval mortality of C. medinalis
Two different techniques for application i.e.
Treatment (%) Per cent larval mortality leaf dip and spray with atomizer were tried to treat
Leaf Dip Atomizer the potted rice plants with three isolates which
BtK4 (5.0) 36.67 (37.24) 38.33 (38.18) included one native Bt isolate (BtK 4 ), one
10.0 63.33 (52.77) 66.67 (54.81) commercial Bt formulation (Biolep) and one
Biolep (0.12) 31.67 (34.13) 33.33 (35.20) standard isolate (BtkHD-1) at different
0.25 58.33 (49.87) 65.00 (53.74) concentrations with three replications. After
0.5 95.00 (82.37) 96.67 (81.35) treatment, the plants were dried under shade for 30
BtkHD-1 (5.0) 33.33 (35.15) 36.67 (37.11) minutes and then third instar larvae of rice leaffolder
(Std. check) were released on the treated rice plants for 24 hrs.
10.0 63.33 (52.86) 61.67 (51.73) Twenty larvae were released in each treatment. After
Control 1.67 (4.31) 0.00 (0.00) the stipulated period, these larvae were allowed to
Figures in parentheses are the arc sine transformations. develop on untreated potted rice plants and the data
Paired t-test at 5% – Both methods were – Non significant. on larval mortality were recorded daily up to 4 days.
The data on mortality of larvae was compared by
manured from time to time to keep the plants healthy.
‘Paired t-test’.
The 20-25 days old plants were cleaned thoroughly
with fresh water before using them for bioassay Data on native isolates of Bt and commercial
studies. Bt formulation (Biolep) presented in Table 1 revealed
that mean per cent larval mortality of Cnaphalocrocis
The adults of leaffolder were collected from
medinalis ranged from 0.00 to 96.67 per cent and
rice plants and other host plants which were growing 1.67 to 95.00 per cent with atomizer and leaf dip
under field conditions by sweeping them with an methods, respectively. It also revealed that the per
insect collection hand-net. The insects were cent larval mortality was numerically more on the
separated/collected from the net and confined on potted plants sprayed with atomizer than with leaf
potted plants of rice kept in insect rearing cages for dip method. However both the methods of
raising the colonies. The pots were watered and application when compared by “paired t- test” (at p
manured regularly from time to time to keep the = 0.05) these were found to be non-significant with
plants healthy. During summer months, the regard to the effectiveness of B. thuringiensis isolates
temperature was lowered by using a desert cooler and commercial Bt formulation against test insect.
and also by sprinkling water on the ground. About In addition atomizer had some advantages over leaf
5-6 colonies each in an insect rearing cage were dip method as it required less time and labor than
maintained at a time to get frequent supply of the leaf dip for the treatment of potted rice plants and
larvae of the test insect (leaffolder). Dead potted the breakage of pots and leaves/stems of the potted
plants were replaced with fresh potted plants regularly plants could be avoided.
REFERENCES
Anonymous (2008) Package of Practices for kharif Crops of Punjab. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.
Karim S. et al. (1999) J. Asia Pacific Ent. 2:61-67.
Xiao, Z.Y. et al. (1994) Agri. Sci. 3:35-37.