author(s)
Manjushree BJ, Jayalaxmi Narayan Hegde, Rajashekarappa K, Gangadhara Naik B and Nagarajappa Adivappar

abstract
Amaranthus is one of the important leafy vegetables and we consume the whole plant parts except root for our diet regularly. Hence, use of synthetic pesticides poses serious challenge to health and environment. Hence, a field experiment was conducted to assess the efficacy of organic molecules against tobacco cut worm, Spodoptera litura Fabricius on Amaranthus was conducted at Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station (ZAHRS), Shivamogga, Karnataka during 2019-20. S. litura was not a regular pest on Amaranthus, but it was outbroken in the field during Kharif. Six organic molecules viz., Neem Seed Kernel Extract 5%, azadirachtin 10,000 ppm, pongamia oil 5%, Beauveria bassiana 1g / lt, Garlic extract 2%, Lecanicillium lecanii 1 g / lt along with one standard check Malathion 50 EC @ 2ml/lt and one untreated control were tested. Among them, Beauveria bassiana recorded maximum reduction in pest population (64.92%), followed by NSKE 5% (53.04%). With respect to the cost benefit ratio, among the organic molecules, NSKE 5% recorded highest cost-benefit ratio of 1: 2.45, followed by azadirachtin 10,000 ppm with 1: 2.16 and Beauveria bassiana 1×10⁹spores with 1: 2.12. Standard check Malathion 50 EC recorded cost benefit ratio of 1: 3.07.