author(s)
Premkumar P, Arulprakash R, Chitra N, Paramasivam M and Uma D

abstract
A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of botanicals for the management of groundnut borer, C. serratus. Four leaf powders (Catharanthus roseus, Azadirachta indica, Vitex negundo and Annona squamosa) and Acorus calamus TNAU formulation were evaluated. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of mortality, pod damage and weight loss for a period of six months. Malathion 5D insecticide was used as standard check. Immediately after treatment, 100.0 and 45.0 per cent mortality were recorded in A. calamus and C. roseus treatments, respectively. There was reduction in mortality over the storage period in all the treatments. Very minimum mortality was found in botanical leaf powder treatments after two months of storage and the mortality was nil after five months. However, A. calamus formulation treatment registered 22.5 per cent mortality after six months of storage. Per cent weight loss among the treatments was directly proportional to the per cent mortality and minimum in A. calamus treatment followed by C. roseus, A. indica, A. squamosa and V. negundo leaf powder treatments.