Natural enemies for sesame leaf Webber Antigastra catalaunalis (Duponchel.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on sesame

A field experiment was conducted at Main Agricultural Research Station, Raichur, during kharif 2015 and rabi2016 to study the natural enemies of capsule borer, Antigastra catalaunalis (Dup.) on sesame and its correlation with weather parameters. The natural enemies recorded were coccinellid beetles and spiders in the sesame field during kharif. Coccinellid beetles population ranged from 0.2 to 2.1 per plant during the cropping period in kharif. The population of coccinellid beetle reached maximum during the fourth week of October (43rd standard week) with adult population of 2.1 per plant and gradually declined thereafter during the month of November (0.3 / plant).The spider population was recorded from fourth week of September and it reached highest during the fourth week of October (1.15 / plant). Coccinellid beetle population varied from 0.1 to 1.8 larvae per plant during the cropping period during rabi with highest being recorded during the second week of February and gradually declined thereafter in the month of third week of February. The larval parasitoids were reared from larvae of the sesame leaf Webber Antigastra catalaunalis (Duponchel.) on sesame. These parasitoids recorded were Eriboru ssp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Trathala flavoorbitalis (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Bassus sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Habrobra conhebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Phanerotoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Agathidinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The infected larvae of capsule borer were brought to the laboratory and reared them in the cages to look for the emergence of parasitoids. The major predators were Coccinellid beetle and spider.