Effect of botanical insecticide application on the population of brown planthopper and its natural enemies and the growth and production of rice plants

Abstract

Brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stall) is one of the most dangerous rice pests in Southeast Asia, therefor the population in the plantation must be controlled. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the botanical insecticide formulations in controlling brown planthopper attacks, the presence of natural enemies and their impact on the growth and production of rice plants. The study was conducted in the laboratory and the field. Screen house research was conducted in Indonesian Spices and Medicinal Crops Research Institute by testing the botanical insecticide formulation at five concentrations, namely; 0, 0.5, 2.5, 4.5, and 6.5 cc/l, and repeated five times. The results showed that at a concentration of 4.5cc/l, the insecticide was able to cause 97% mortality of the insects. This concentration was then used for spray application in the screen house which showed a more significant number of productive tillers, grain per bunch, and weight of 1000 grains than the control treatment, and about 25% higher in plant production. The Results of the field study conducted in Indramayu District showed that the botanical insecticide was able to suppress the population of N. lugens, but it was safe for natural enemies. The production of plants sprayed with botanical insecticides was 16.39% higher than the control treatment. This indicated that the botanical insecticide tested can be able to suppress the population of N. lugens, but was also safe against natural enemies and increase rice production.