Insect Pest of Pulse Redgram and Chickpea & Manegement

Pests of Pulses (Redgram & Chickpea)

Pest of Redgram & Chickpea

Scientific name	Family	Order
Major Pests
Gram pod borer
Helicoverpa armigera	Noctuidae	Lepidotera
Blue butterfly
Lampides boeticus	Lycaenidae	Lepidoptera
Grass blue butterfly
Euchrysops cnejus	Lycaenidae	Lepidoptera
Plume moth
Exelastis atomosa	Pterophoridae	Lepidoptera
Spotted pod borer
Maruca testulalis	Pyraustidae	Lepidoptera
Spiny pod borer
Etiella zinckenella	Phycitidae	Lepidoptera
Field bean pod borer
Adisura atkinsoni	Noctuidae	Lepidoptera
Pod fly
Melanagromyza obtusa	Agromyzidae	Diptera
Stem fly
Ophiomyia phaseoli	Agromyzidae	Diptera
Minor Pests
Blister beetle
Mylabris pustulata	Meloidae	Coleoptera
Pod wasp
Tanaostigmodes cajaninae	Tanaostigmatidae	Hymenoptera
Flower webber
Eublemma hemirrhoda	Noctuidae	Lepidoptera

Insect Pest of Pulse Redgram and Chickpea

Major pests

1.Gram pod borer

Scientific Name: Helicoverpa armigera

Host range– Cotton, Sorghum, Lablab, Pea, Chillies, Groundnut, Tobacco, Okra, Maize, Tomato, Soybean, Safflower, Gram,

Damage symptoms

• Caterpillar first feeds on foliage, later bores into pods and feeds on seeds.
• Larva is seen feeding with the head alone thrust inside the parts and the rest of the body hanging out.
• Boreholes on pods, absence of seeds on pods and defoliation in early stages are the symptoms of attack.

Management

• Install bird perches @ 50/ha to pick the larvae
• Set up light trap to monitor, attract and kill the moths
• Set up pheromone traps @ 12 nos./ha
• Release of egg parasite Trichogramma spp. and egg larval parasites, Chelonus blackburnii
• Spray nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) @ 500 LE/ha in 0.1% teepol.
• Apply insecticides at 25 kg/ha – endosulfan 1.5 D, quinalphos 1.5 D or carbaryl 5D
• Spray Benfuracarb 40 EC 2.5 L /Methomyl 40 SP 750-1125 g insecticides in 700-1000 L of water/ha.

2.Blue butterfly

Scientific Name: Lampides boeticus

Host Range– Cowpea, Redgram, Blackgram, Lablab and Niger.

Damage symptoms

• The larva feeds inside flower buds
• Green pods with bore holes and presence of slug like caterpillar

3.Grass blue butterfly

Scientific Name: Euchrysops cnejus

Host Range– Blackgram, Peas, Redgram and Lablab.

Damage symptoms

• Buds, flowers and young pods with boreholes and presence of slug like caterpillar.

Management

• Discourage dense or close planting.
• Avoid early or late sowing.
• Dig soil regularly during the period of infestation to kill larvae and pupae.
• Release egg parasitoid Trichogramma sp.
• Conserve larval parasitoids Aploymia sp., Hyperencyrtus lycaenephila, Listrodromus crassipes.

4.Plume moth

Scientific Name: Exelastis atomosa

Host range– Red gram, lablab, niger and horse gram

Damage symptoms

• The tiny larva bores into unopened buds, flowers and tender parts.
• 5-20% pods are damaged.

Management

• Conserve Larval parasitoids, Apanteles paludicolae, Diadegma sp.
• Profenophos 50 EC @ 1 ml/l or thiodicarb 75 WP or methomyl 40 SP @ 0.6 g/l water
• Indoxacarb 0.12 ml/l   OR Spinosad 0.3 ml/l   OR Quinalphos 25 EC @ 2 ml/l

5.Spotted pod borer

Scientific Name: Maruca testulalis

Host range– Beans, peas, castor, groundnut, cowpea, rice, sesame, soybean, tobacco, daincha, sugarcane, redgram, lablab, niger, greengram & blackgram.

Damage symptoms

• The larva bores the buds, flowers or pods
• infested pods and flowers are webbed together.
• The larva feeds on seeds.
• The assessment of damage in pigeonpea pods has shown that 5-20% pods

Management

• Conserve larval parasitoids Bracon lebetor
• Profenophos 50 EC @ 1 ml/l or thiodicarb 75 WP or methomyl 40 SP @ 0.6 g/l water
• Indoxacarb 0.12 ml/l   OR Spinosad 0.3 ml/l   OR Quinalphos 25 EC @ 2 ml/l

6.Spiny pod borer

Scientific Name: Etiella zinckenella

Host range- Redgram, horsegram, cowpea and greengram, lentil & green peas.

Damage symptoms

• The larva feeds inside green pods and then on pod surface, webbing together 2-4 Pods

Management

• Conserve natural enemies like Tetrastichus sp., Bracon hebetor, Phanerotoma sp.
• Profenophos 50 EC @ 1 ml/l or thiodicarb 75 WP or methomyl 40 SP @ 0.6 g/l water
• Indoxacarb 0.12 ml/l   OR Spinosad 0.3 ml/l   OR Quinalphos 25 EC @ 2 ml/l

7.Field bean pod borer

Scientific Name: Adisura atkinsoni

Host range– Pigeonpea, lablab and niger

Damage symptoms

• The larva bores inside the pod and feeds on the seeds within.

Management

• Conserve natural enemies like Bracon hebetor.
• Profenophos 50 EC @ 1 ml/l or thiodicarb 75 WP or methomyl 40 SP @ 0.6 g/l water
• Indoxacarb 0.12 ml/l   OR Spinosad 0.3 ml/l   OR Quinalphos 25 EC @ 2 ml/l  

8.Pod fly

Scientific Name: Melanagromyza obtusa

Host range–  Redgram, Bhendi & Safflower.

Damege symptoms

• Maggots cause damage by boring into the soft seeds & feed on grains.
• The damaged seeds are unfit for consumption as well as for germination.
• The extent of damage may be even upto 60-70% during severe infestation.

Management

• Conserve natural enemies like Euderus lividus, Eurytoma sp., Euderus agromyzae
• Spray Carbaryl 50 WP 1.5 kg or endosulfan 35 EC 1.25 L or Lufenuron 5.4 EC 2.5 L with 700 L water/ha

9.Stem fly

Scientific Name: Ophiomyia phaseoli

Host range– Red gram, bean, cowpea, soybean

Damage symptoms

• Drooping of the tender leaves and yellowing characterize serious damage of young plants.
• The sites where maggot and pupae are present become swollen and start ribbing.
• Older plants show stunting but are not usually killed.

Management

• Conserve natural enemies like Euderus lividus, Eurytoma sp., Euderus agromyzae
• Seed pelleting with chlorpyriphos @ 4 ml/kg of seed may reduce stem fly.
• Spray any one of contact insecticide in the early stages of the attack.
• Carbaryl 50 WP 1.5 kg or endosulfan 35 EC 1.25 L in 700 L water/ha

Minor Pests

10.Blister beetle

Scientific Name: Mylabris pustulata

Damage symptoms

• The adult feeds voraciously on buds and flowers.
• A single beetle can destroy as many as 20-30 flowers/day.

11.Pod wasp

Scientific Name: Tanaostigmodes cajaninae

Host range– Red gram

Damage symptoms

• The larva feeds on young seed of basal locules of pods causing complete abortion of the seed.
• Larva also feeds on the pod wall after consuming the seed.
• When the pod is attacked immediately after flower drop, it becomes dry and is shed.

12.Flower webber

Scientific Name: Eublemma hemirrhoda

Damage symptoms

• Larva webs together the flowers and feeds on them.
• Adult has yellow forewings with purple patches and white hind wings.
• Larva is green with a black head.

Questions	Answer
— is a tiny larva that bores into unopened buds, flowers and tender parts of redgram?	Plume moth
Which entomopathogenic agent is used to control aphids in cowpea field?	Fusarium pallidoroseum
— causes damage by boring into the soft seeds and feed on grains?	Pod fly
Which coleopteran pest feeds voraciously on flowers & pods of pulses while the grubs are predators?	Blister beetle
Red gram sterility mosaic virus is transmitted by?	Aceria cajani
—-is scientific name of arhar pod fly?	Melanagromiza obtuse
Webbing of infested pods & inflorescence in redgram is due to ___ spotted pod Borer?	Maruca testulalis
Drooping of tender leaves and yellowing are the damage caused by?	stem fly

Q.1 Boreholes on pods, absence of seeds in pods and defoliation are caused by?

• Spiny pod borer
• Spotted pod borer
• Field bean pod borer
• Gram pod borer

Answer

Q.2 Infested pods and flowers of redgram webbed together is the symptom of?

• Gram pod borer
• Spotted pod borer
• Field bean pod borer
• Blue butterfly

Answer

Q.3 Drooping of tender leaves and yellowing is caused by?

• Pod fly
• Stem fly
• Blue butterfly
• Grass blue butterfly

Answer

Q.4 Cowpea mosaic virus is transmitted by following pest?

• Aphis craccivora
• Aphis gossypii
• Myzus persicae
• Bemisia tabasi

Answer

Q.5 Exelastis atomosa belongs to the family?

• Agromizidae
• Pterophoridae
• Lycaenidae
• None of the above

Answer

Q.6 Alternate host of Lampides boeticus ?

• Cotton
• Niger
• Pulses
• both Niger and Pulses

Answer

Q.7__ is the scientific name of spotted pod borer?

• Maruca testulalis
• Amsacta albistriga
• Exelastis atomosa
• Lampides boeticus

Answer

Q.8 __is the alternate host of Maruca testulalis?

• Sugarcane
• Tobacco
• Rice
• All the above

Answer

Q.9 __ is the alternate host of Adisura atkinsoni?

• Niger
• Lablab
• Pigeonpea
• All the above

Answer

Q.10 ____ is the alternate host of Melanagromyza obtuse?

• Redgram
• Okra
• Safflower
• All the above

Answer

Q.11 Hymneopteran pest on pulses?

• Mylabris phalerata
• Tanaostigmodes cajaninae
• Adisura atkinsoni
• Lampides boeticus

Answer

Insect Pest of Pulse Redgram and Chickpea