Neem kernel as an ovipositional repellent forSpodoptera litura (F.) moths

Laboratory and nursery tests showed that a 2% neem (Melia azadirachta L.) seed kernel suspension in water was effective as a repellent and ovipositional deterrent for moths of the tobacco caterpillar,Spodoptera litura (F.). The mean number of eggs laid on treated tobacco seedlings was 37 3 as against 1715 on control seedlings. As a consequence of the moths being repelled from the treated plants, they laid more eggs on the cloth and the glass surface in glass jar experiments. Repellency was even more pronounced when the moths were released in treated and untreated nylon-netting-caged nursery beds; the mean number of eggs laid on treated seedlings was then only 749 as against 19,713 in control beds.