Development and Evaluation of Wettable Powder and Oil Based formulations of Nomuraea rileyi (Farlow) Samson against Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and Spodoptera litura (Fabricius)

Nomuraea rileyi (Farlow) Samson is a potential entomopathogenic fungus against lepidopteran pests. This was formulated as wettable powder and oil-based formulations to increase its efficiency in the field by using different carrier materials and oils and these were evaluated in the laboratory against two important noctuid pests, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and Spodoptera litura (Fabricius). Among the wettable powder formulations of N. rileyi, viz., bentonite + glucose (7:1), talc + glucose (7:1), bentonite + sucrose (7:1) and talc + sucrose (7:1) recorded 87.0, 74.0, 72.0, 83.0 and 75.0 per cent mortality in S. litura and 79.0, 70.0, 66.0 and 88.0 per cent in H. armigera, respectively. The oil-based formulations (tank mix) with pongamia oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil and groundnut oil recorded 74.0, 90.0, 83.0 and 87.0 per cent mortality in S. litura and 73.0, 89.0, 87.0 and 87.0 per cent in H. armigera, respectively.