author(s)
Imtiaz Ali Khan, Muhammad Nawaz Khan, Rasheed Akbar, Muhammad Saeed, Abid Farid, Ijaz Ali, Mukhtar Alam, Komal Habib, Walija Fayaz, Sajjad Hussain, Bismillah Shah, Syed Ruidar Ali Shah

abstract
Insect pests pose heavy threat to maize crop each year in Peshawar-Pakistan. In the present study efficacy of five insecticides, i.e. Acetamiprid 20 SP, Alpha cypermethrin 5 EC, Mixture 80 EC, Perfection 40 EC and DDVP 50 EC were tested in maize field against maize stem borer(Chilo partellus Swinhoe), grasshopper(Melanoplus differentialis Thomas), flea beetle(Chaetocnema pulicaria Ashmead) and its influence on Ladybird beetle(Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus)was determined during 2009. The results revealed that all the insecticides were effective in reducing pest’s population but also adversely affected the natural enemy population. Mixture yielded lowest density of C. partellus (1.22 infested plants/10 plants), M. differentialis (0.44 individuals/10 plants) and C. pulicaria (0.33 beetles/leaf) among the treatments. All the insecticides had adverse effect on population of C. septempunctata. Mean density of C. septempunctata in Mixture (0.44 beetles/plant) was the lowest among the treatments. In the untreated control mean density of the pests and natural enemy was higher than all the treatments. The yield of maize obtained from Mixture treatment was highest (2.71 ton/ha) than all the other treatments and control. The present results might help in better control of insect pests of maize, mainly using its natural enemies.