Abstract
Insects associated with pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), was observed from 2015 to 2016 in four major pomegranate growing districts of Tamil Nadu viz., Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur and Karurat monthly intervals. A total of 31 species under two genera and sixteen families of six orders was documented. In addition, seven natural enemies in association with pomegranate pests were also recorded. Among the different functional groups, phytophagous groups were dominated, followed by predators and parasitoids.
Highlights
Pomegranate is one of the important fruit crops in India and is being cultivated in arid and semiarid regions of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (Balikai et al, 2011)
To increase production and productivity, farmers are growing pomegranate under high density planting, which accommodates 1000 plants per hectare compared to 750 plants per hectare in the normal planting
Intensive field studies wereconducted during the year 2015 to 2016 for recording the insect pests and their natural enemies that are associated with pomegranate
Summary
Pomegranate is one of the important fruit crops in India and is being cultivated in arid and semiarid regions of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (Balikai et al, 2011). India is the largest producer of pomegranate in the world. The total area under cultivation of pomegranate in India is 107.00 thousand ha and production is around 743.00 thousand tons. 91 insects, 6 mites and 1 snail pest feeding on pomegranate crop havebeen reported in India (Verghese and Rashmi, 2014). The above reports confirmed that the commercially growing pomegranate farmers are facing several pest problems in their field, with no practical eco-friendly solutions. To increase production and productivity, farmers are growing pomegranate under high density planting, which accommodates 1000 plants per hectare compared to 750 plants per hectare in the normal planting.
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