(Kumar et al., 2015). The rice leaf folder pest is of major concern among rice pests (Kushwaha, 2004). An attempt

was made to evaluate the efficacy of botanical extracts in the control of rice leaf folder infestation during the

Kharif season at Dhadgaon, Nandurbar District, Maharashtra. The experiment was laid out in RBD with 5

treatments and 3 replications: Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE) 5%, garlic extract 5%, Chilli extract 5%, a

chemical check, and an untreated control. Botanicals were applied at 30 days, 45 days, and 60 days after

transplanting (DAT). All treatments were found significantly superior in respect of the reduction of leaf damage

and larval population as compared to the control. Botanical Neem seed kernel extract was found to be the most

effective, with minimum leaf damage (11.2%) and a larval population (1.30), followed by garlic and chilli

extracts. The maximum efficacy was observed in the chemical check. The findings revealed that Neem seed

kernel extract was found to be most effective in reducing leaf damage and larval population. It can be

for 89.84% of the cultivated area, and India is the second largest producer, accounting for 20.0% of the world‘s

rice crop. In 2011-2012, India had 44.31 million hectares under rice, leading to a production of 155.74 million

metric tons (FAO, 2012). In Maharashtra, 14.66 lakh hectare area is under rice cultivation, which produces about

Districts like Thane, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, and Nandurbar are the prominent rice-growing districts. Maharashtra

is an important rice-growing state where rice constitutes a major part of subsistence farming even in tribal and

hilly regions like Nandurbar District. Here, in agricultural Dhadgaon, the farmers are absolutely dependent on

the monsoon for crop production. The rice is essential in providing food, employment, and income to the tribal

Over 100 insect species are known to attack rice, of which about 20 are capable of causing economic loss (Pathak

Many insect pests attack rice at various stages of its growth. These pests generally attack various parts of the

rice plant, like leaves, stems, grains, and roots, by feeding upon them, and cause a reduction in the rate of

photosynthesis, plant growth, and grain production. Generally, common insect pests in rice are stem borers, leaf

in Asia. The rice leaf folder occurs throughout most rice-producing countries of Asia, such as India, China,

Japan, and many Southeast Asian nations. Outbreaks are reported to occur in humid, warm climates during the

Crowding of the plants may be evident in the form of masses of bent and crumpled leaves. Heavily infested

fields show significantly less rice than in unfed areas. The effects are most severe when rice is in its tillering and

booting stages, when maximum photosynthesis is needed for growth and yield. Heinrichs, E. A., & Barrion, A.

Crop loss (stunted plants or yield reduction) in India can be as high as80 % infestations by sucking pests or

borers and leaf feeders (Rajendran et al., 1986; Lal, 1996) Dumroser. The rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis

medinalis Guenee, mainly attacks young plants at the early stages of development, decreasing chlorophyll by

57%, reducing photosynthetic II activity. During the maximum tillering stage, a larval density of more than

three per hill can cause20 % of the grains to be unfilled or stunted. Damage to greater than 25% of leaf

Economic constraints in many tribal areas, like Dhadgaon, also restrict the farmers from buying expensive

chemical pesticides. Likewise, there is a need for environmentally safe and friendly pest control practices with

or growth regulation activities. Already, farmers have been using plant extracts and natural products for centuries

Botanical pesticides are also a key component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). They are used with

Botanical pest control adopted in tribal areas like Dhadgaon, Nandurbar district, is more important as Kharif

crops are ecologically rich in plant biodiversity, and various important insecticidal plants are quite available

The application of botanically available material must reduce production cost, reduce pollution, and improve

the sustainability of the rice culture. Botanical pesticides also help to improve an organic farm and low input,

There are also reports for activity of Botanical extracts against several insect pests. However, the performance

of these at the field level under local agro-climatic conditions may be varied. Hence, the different Botanical

Several workers have successfully explored the application of botanical insecticides and eco-friendly pest control

methods for the management of insect pests of rice. The effectiveness of extracts obtained from plants like

neem, garlic, chili, and all other medicinal plants due to their superior advantages is gaining increasing

knowledge. Since these botanicals can be biodegradable, are of low toxicity to non-target organisms, and are

insects that feed on leaves can cause lower yields by about 50 percent. This highlights the importance of adopting

Lal (1996) also stated that the rice leaf folder caused more damage at the early vegetative stage of the crop when

large populations of larvae damage the leaf tissues by scraping the chlorophyll. This results in frequent leaf

Kulgagod et al. (2011) documented that the rice leaf folder is now one of the major pests encountered in many

rice-growing regions of India. They recorded the yield losses of between 5 and 25 per cent, depending upon

the severity of the infestation and climatic conditions. They highlighted the urgency of integrated pest

management strategies to reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals for pest control and maintain ecological

cinnamaldehyde, and azadirachtin on insect physiology. They found that the compounds had major effects on

the antennal heartbeat rate and muscle activity of the insect, which proved that the botanical compounds can

Bernays et al. (2017) investigated the effect of plant secondary metabolites, e.g. Tannins, on herbivorous insects.

The results of their investigation indicated that many tannin species damage the insect midgut epithelium and

thus cause a decline in feeding efficiency and digestion problems. Consequently, they can be seen as having an

Reed and Majumdar (2018) investigated the cellular effects that azadirachtin has on insect cell cultures, resulting

in the blocking of cell division, abnormal swelling, and structural damage to cells, which is why neem has

Again, Rath (2018) evaluated the efficacy of insecticides and botanicals for the control of rice leaf folder

populations. Results indicated that neem botanicals were effective in controlling pests, while causing less harm

Recent research also suggests that plant materials could be used for maintenance of pests. Balamurugan and

Kannan (2023) showed the effectiveness of neem oil and seaweed extracts in decreasing the level of leaf folder

However, Adhikari et al. (2022) revealed that in rice, pest population density was directly proportional to the

manifested damage of leaves. A successful research led by them stated that pest monitoring and ecological pest

garlic, chili extract, and the Neem seed kernel extract, were prepared according to the method we learned from

A fresh crop of neem seeds, weighing three kilograms, was pounded and put in an earthen pot, which was then

The data obtained in the experiment were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The means were separated