Background: The study aimed to determine the effect of biological and chemical control against the oleander insect, Aphis nerii, under laboratory conditions. 
 
Methods: The current study was conducted in the Plant Protection Laboratory of Diyala Agriculture, Diyala Province, Baqubah district, Iraq, During May 2023 to evaluate commercial products, which included oxymatrine, spinosad, the bacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and nimbecidine, in addition to alphacypermethrin pesticide with three concentrations of 10, 20 and 30% against adults of Oleander aphids, Aphis nerii, the study included two experiments, to evaluate the mortality rate and the second to evaluate the repellency rate under laboratory conditions. 
 
Result: The alphacypermethrin pesticide with a concentration of 30% recorded the highest mortality (93.3%) after 24 hours, while the bacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens with a concentration of 10% and the oil neem (nimbecidine) with a concentration of 30% recorded the highest mortality (63.3% and 63.3%, respectively), after 48 hours. The oxymatrine 30% and 20% were superior in recording the highest repellency (66.6% and 66.6%) after 5 and 15 minutes, respectivelyand the bacteria 20% recorded the highest repellency (60.0%) after 10 minutes. The results of this study indicate the possibility of replacing chemical pesticides with biological control agents as eco-friendly alternatives.

The Aphicidal and Repellent Activities of Oxymatrine, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Nimbecidine and Spinosad against Adults of Oleander Aphids (Aphis nerii Boyer De Fonscolombe) under Laboratory Conditions

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: Cluster bean crop is affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses which are responsible for its poor quality and low yield resulting in severe economic losses. Among the foliar diseases, powdery mildew caused by Leveillula taurica is an important disease causing the yield losses ranging from 50-55 per cent. So, there is a need to formulate suitable management practices against powdery mildew. 
 
Methods: Field experiment was laid-out in a randomized complete block design with three replications at Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad to determine the efficacy of economically viable and effective fungicides, botanical and bioagent against powdery mildew of cluster bean. Observation on intensity of disease was recorded using 0-9 scale. The per cent disease index and yield per hectare were taken into consideration for statistical analysis.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Among the thirteen combinations, two sprays of hexaconazole @ 0.1 per cent was found to be statistically significant in reducing the disease severity (11.75%) and enhancing pod yield (138.46%) upto 6.20 t ha-1 with C: B ratio of 1:3.23. The combined application of nimbecidine and Bacillus subtilis also showed significant impact on disease reduction as well as on yield of cluster bean. Relatively, the chemical, hexaconazole gave a higher benefit with minimum production cost and this approach is proposed to the cluster bean growing farmers to mitigate the powdery mildew.</div>

The Aphicidal and Repellent Activities of Oxymatrine, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Nimbecidine and Spinosad against Adults of Oleander Aphids (Aphis nerii Boyer De Fonscolombe) under Laboratory Conditions

Management of Powdery Mildew in Cluster Bean using Fungicides, Botanicals and Bioagents