OPTIMISING TARO BEETLE MANAGEMENT: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BIFENTHRIN APPLICATION TECHNIQUES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott is native to Southeast Asia and is widely cultivated and used throughout the world for its edible corms and leaves. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), it is a prized commodity for socio-cultural activities. Despite its many benefits, taro beetles, Papuana, and Eucopidocaulus species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) were seen as threats to its cultivation. The insecticide “bifenthrin” was recommended, however, the current application method is tedious. Thus, this field experiment was conducted to compare the efficiency of different bifenthrin application methods for the control of taro beetles under field conditions. The treatments studied were the control (no application), measuring beaker (standard practice), knapsack sprayer, and hand sprayer, and were repeated five times using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the results showed that the knapsack sprayer was more efficient (p < 0.05) in terms of application duration, and all three methods were effective (p < 0.05) in controlling taro beetles compared to the control. Hence, knapsack sprayers can be used to cover more areas of taro-cultivated land, and any of these methods can effectively control the taro beetles.