Abstract

Ailanthis triphysa, a soft wood used in match industry is susceptible to defoliation by larvae of Eligma narcissus. Comparative pathogenicity of 11 strains of Bacillus thuringiensis on Eligma narcissus under laboratory condition has been studied. The Bacillus thuringiensis strains tested in the trial were aizawai (HD-52, 112, 133, 282 & 854), entomocidus (HD-198), Kenyae (HD-551), Kurstaki (HD-262, 337 & 562) and an unidentified one (HD-582) . Larval mortality was 50-60 in the case of three strains viz., aizawai (HD-854) entomocidus (HD-198) and kurstaki (HD-337) . Other strains gave mortalities below 35 only indicating the feasibility of using the former three strains for the control of the pest