Studies on botanical biopesticide as repellent against wild animals and sucking pests in Sugarcane plant and succeeding ratoon crops
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Authors
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B S Tomer
General Manager Cane, RBNS, Laksar, Haridwar - 247663, Uttarakhand, India.
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R P Srivastava
Principal Scientist (Retd.), UPSRC, Shahajanpur - 242001, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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Rajnandini Kumari
Director, Agristar Technologies Ltd., -110017, New Delhi, India.
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Sanjay Singh
Scientist, KVK, Kashipur - 244713, Uttarkhand, India
Keywords:
Basil, botanical biopesticide, Eugenol, insect pests, Neem, Sugarcane, wild animals.Abstract
Wildlife intrusion and sucking pest infestations pose a significant threat to crop productivity and farmer livelihoods across India. This study evaluates the efficacy of botanical extracts derived from various indigenous plants, including basil species containing eugenol, cottonseed species, and neem species, commercially formulated as neem based botanical biopesticide as a repellent for mitigating damage caused
by wildlife and sucking pests (whiteflies A. barodensis) and thrips (F. serrata) in sugarcane, owing to its bitter taste and specific odour.
Field trials were conducted in farmers’ fields in the RBNS Sugar Mills area, Laksar, in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India, during 2024–25 on plant cane and in the succeeding ratoon crop during 2025–26. The results revealed that botanical biopesticide application twice (at planting on cane sets and as a foliar application 100 days after planting) significantly reduced the incidence of sucking pests (whiteflies
and thrips) and damage caused by wild animals (monkey, jackals, blue bulls & cow) likely due to its strong odour and bitter taste. Consequently, a significant improvement in growth-related parameters was observed in the plant cane crop.
Similar trends were observed in the succeeding ratoon crop; however, the increase in cane yield was not statistically significant. The pol percentage in cane was not affected by the application in either crop. The results highlight the potential of this product as a sustainable, eco-friendly, and effective alternative to conventional chemical pesticides for integrated pest and wild animal’s management in sugarcane.
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