Wheat Insect Pest and Their Management

Wheat Insect Pest

Major pests Wheat
Insect	Zoological Name
Wheat Aphid	Macrosiphum miscanthi
Ghujhia Weevil	Tanymecus indicus
Gram Pod Borer	Helicoverpa armigera
Termites	Odontotermes obesus/Microtermes obesi
Molya Nematode/cyst nematode	Heterodera avenae
Wheat-gall Nematode	Anguina tritici
Minor pests Wheat
Insect	Zoological Name
Aphid	Schizaphis graminum /Rhopalosiphum maidis
Cut worms	Agrotis spp./Marasmia trapezalis
Jassids	Amrasca spp.
Shootfly	Atherigona naqvii /A. orzae
Wheat thrips	Anaphothrips favicinctus
Pink borer	Sesamia inferens
Wheat bug	Eurygaster maura
Hopper	Laodelphax striatella /Pyrilla perpusilla

1. Wheat Aphid

Zoological Name: Macrosiphum miscanthi

Host range- Wheat, Barley, Oats, Cynodon dactylon

Damage symptoms- The nymphs and adults suck the sap from plants, particularly from their ears. They appear on young leaves or ears in large numbers during the cold and cloudy weather. The damage is particularly severe in years of cold and cloudy weather.

Management

• Spray 375 ml of dimethoate 30 EC or oxydemeton methyl 25 EC or Monocrotophos 36SL in 500 L of water/ha.

2. Armyworm

Zoological Name: Mythimna separata

Host range- Wheat, Sugarcane Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Baru grass.

Damage symptoms– in the early stages, they feed on tender leaves in the central whorl and later feed on older leaves and skeletonize them totally. In the case of a severe attack, whole leaves, including the mid-rib, are consumed and the field looks as if grazed by cattle. The pest may also eat away ears, including the awns and immature grains.

Management

• The pest can be suppressed by collecting & destroying the caterpillars.
• Spray 500 ml of dichlorvos 85 SL / 3 kg of carbaryl 50 WP/1.0 L of quinalphos 25 EC in 500 L of water/ha.

3. Ghujhia Weevil

Zoological Name: Tanymecus indicus

Host range– Germinating Rabi crops viz., Wheat, Barley, Gram & Mustard

Damage symptoms– Only adults feed on leaves & tender shoots of the host plants. They cut the germinating seedlings at the ground level. The damage is particularly serious during Oct.-Nov. when the rabi crops are germinating.

Management

• Dust carbaryl /malathion 5 D@25 kg per ha.

4. Gram Pod Borer

Zoological Name: Helicoverpa armigera

Damage symptoms– The gram pod borer attacks wheat at maturity. It feeds on the grains in the ear heads. The damage is more where wheat follows cotton.

Management

• Spray 3 kg of carbaryl 50 WP /2.0 L of quinalphos 25 EC in 500 L of water/ha.

5. Termites

Zoological Name: Odontotermes obesus /Microtermes obesi

Damage symptoms– Termites damage the wheat crop soon after sowing and near maturity. The damaged plants dry up completely & are easily pulled out. The plants damaged at later stages give rise to white ears.

Management

• Treat the seed @4 ml of chlorpyriphos 20 EC / 7ml of endosulfan 35 EC/kg of seed.
• If the attack is noticed in the standing crop, dilute 2.5 L of endosulfan 35 EC in 5 L of water and mix it with 50 kg of soil & broadcast evenly in one hectare, followed by light irrigation.

6. Molya Nematode/Cyst nematode

Zoological Name: Heterodera avenae

Host range– Wheat, Barley, Oats & Rye

Damage symptoms– Attacked plants remain stunted and give a shriveled unhealthy appearance. Presence of nematodes stimulates the formation of branched rootlets. The main root remains short or bunchy, bearing small galls. In case of severe infestation, the seedlings may fail to come out of the soil.

Management

• Follow crop rotation with non host crops mustard, pulses, fenugreek or carrot for one or two years
• Grow cyst nematode resistant wheat Raj MR-1 or barley RD 2035 or RD 2052
• Plough 2-3 times during summer
• Apply carbofuran @ 45 kg/ha

Wheat Insect Pest

7. Wheat-gall Nematode

Zoological Name: Anguina tritici

Host range– Rye, Spelt & emer. Oats and barley are immune.

Damage symptoms– Affected plants are more or less stunted and their leaves are wrinkled, rolled or twisted. A variable number of grains in an infested ear may produce galls.

Management

• The wheat gall nematode can be controlled by separating the galls from the wheat seed by floating them on water in a tub.
• The galls, being lighter, float on the surface & may be skimmed off. The seed should then be dried before sowing.
• The pest can also be suppressed by sowing clean seed in uninfested soil.

Questions – Maize & Wheat

Questions	Answer
Lablab or cowpea is sown as an intercrop to minimise—– damage?	Stem borer
___are immune to wheat gall nematode?	Oats & Barley
Presence of shot holes and dead heart is the damage caused by in maize?	Stem borer
—- causes damage by constructing webs on maize cobs and feeds on the flowers and grain?	Web worm
Rabi wheat suffers more from the attack of?	Ghujia weevil
Bunchy roots with galls in wheat is due to the attack by?	Cyst Nematode
Winged forms of wheat aphid migrate to ____ for breeding?	Cynodon dactylon

Q.1 Maize stem borer undergoes ____ generation per year?

• 4-6
• 2-5
• 3-4
• 3-4

Answer

Q.2 ___ stage alone does the damage by cutting wheat seedlings at?

• ground level Adult
• Shoot fly
• Stem borer
• Pink borer
• both Stem borer & Pink borer 

Answer

Q.3 Alternate host of Sesamia inferens is ____?

• Sugarcane
• Bajra
• Rice
• All the above

Answer

Q.4 Alternate host of Atherigona orientalis is?

Bajra

Groundnut

Redgram

All the above

Answer

Q.5 Which one of the following larva feeds on silk and developing maize grains?

• Stem borer
• Earworm
• Web worm
• Cutworm

Answer

Q.6 Site of pupation for ash weevil is?

• Soil
• On leaf
• Within leaf
• In between leaf

Answer

Wheat Insect Pest