Vol. 9, Special Issue 12, Part K (2025)

The frequent failure of conventional insecticides against the cardamom borer (Conogethes punctiferalis Guenee) stems from the pest’s concealed feeding habit, creating an urgent need for environmentally benign control alternatives. Over three consecutive seasons, field trials were conducted in Santhanpara and Vandanmedu villages to assess the performance of several biopesticides, botanical insecticides, and natural enemies against the stem, capsule, and panicle borers. Among the treatments, the synthetic spinosad formulation (Spinetoram 11.7% SC) achieved the greatest reduction in shoot injury, lowering damage incidence to 14.0% compared with 40.0% in the untreated plots. The same product also ranked second for shoot damage (17.5%). For capsule damage, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (ICAR‑NBAIR strain) proved most effective, reducing incidence to 15.15%, followed closely by Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana (ICAR‑NBAIR strains), which were statistically similar. The untreated control exhibited 28.12% capsule damage. Botanical preparations Poneem and Econeem plus limited shoot injury to 22.0% and 20.0%, respectively, while the parasitoids Apanteles sp. and Friona sp. kept capsule damage at 17.40% and 16.45%, both comparable to the best chemical treatment and markedly better than the control. Economic analysis revealed the highest benefit‑cost ratio for Spinetoram (1 : 4.05), followed by Beauveria bassiana (1 : 3.87), Bacillus thuringiensis (1 : 3.60) and Metarhizium anisopliae (1 : 3.60). These results suggest that integrating selected bio‑pesticides and natural enemies can effectively suppress C. punctiferalis while offering favourable economic returns for small‑cardamom growers.