Possibilities of biological control on sesame moth Antigastra catalaunalis Dup. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Antalya sesame fields

Sesame moth and whitefly cause significant damage to sesame plants. Especially in the second period sesame cultivation areas, if early intervention is not made, they cause significant damage. This greatly reduces the efficiency. Chemical control is generally preferred for these pests in our country. Today, the use of chemical control creates many harmful results. Therefore, in our study, it is aimed to use biological control agents and preparations as an alternative to chemical control. In this study, applications of Nostalgist Bl biological insecticide containing 1.5% Beauveria bassiana strain Bb-1 1x108 cfu/mil spores, Nimbecidine biological insecticide containing 0.3 g/L Azadirachtin active ingredient, and Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) an egg parasitoid and activities were determined. The application area (2000 m2) is divided into 3 blocks, each block is named with the letters A, B and C. Each block is divided into 4 parcels. The above factors and biological insecticides were applied separately in each parcel, including the control parcels in each block. In the study, a total of 20 000 T. evanescens adults were released to the A3, B3, C3 parcels for Sesame moth eggs. Applications were made in the form of A1 Nimbecidine, A2 Nostalgist, B1 Nostalgist, B2 Nimbecidine, C1 Nimbecidine, C2 Nostalgist. Control plots of A4, B4, C4 plots were made. In the counts made according to the application results, there was a significant decrease in whitefly eggs and nymphs on the leaf surface. A very significant decrease was observed in the populations per plant in the sesame moth larvae counts. The highest efficiency was obtained in Nimbecidine and Nostalgist applications. The yield was moderate in the plots with parasitoid application.