Abstract

African bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), is a serious pest of cereals, sorghum, cotton, pepper, maize, sunflower, flax and niger. To control this insect pest, doses of insecticides have been used. The use of indiscriminate synthetic insecticides causes adverse effect like environmental pollution, human and animal health hazards, and development of pesticide resistance. To alleviate these bottleneck problems, botanicals and semiochemicals are the effective controlling methods and believed to be safe to environment and human health. For many years, many plants species having pesticidal effects have been tested against the insect pest; however, some of them are commercially not produced. And also semiochemicals are the worthy tools, especially in the insect pest monitoring, aggregation and mating disruption of the pest. The manipulation of these management options need to get attention in the development of integrated pest management strategies. To do so, compiling information regarding the research so far done in the area is important. Therefore, this paper emphasized on the review of the research has been done concerning botanicals and semiochemicals to control H. armigera. Thus, in this review paper, different botanicals that affect the insect pest through their juvenile hormone and growth regulatory activity, antifeedant action, larvicidal action, ovipositional deterrence, ovicidal and pupicidal effects have been reviewed. Additionally, semiochemicals which include pheromones, kairomones and allomones of H. armigera   were included.

Key words:         African bollworm, botanicals, semiochemicals, bio intensive management.