Insect Pests of Lentil and Their Management

Abstract

Lentil is one of the world’s most important food plants and is particularly so in North Africa and South Asia and parts of North America, Europe and Australia. Consequently the crop is exposed to a broad spectrum of insect species in a wide variety of locations. The management of insect pests of the crop is crucial to optimizing production. The major insect pests of lentil in the field are aphids (Aphis craccivora & Acyrthosiphonpisum), leaf weevils (Sitona spp.), Lygus bugs, (Lygusspp.), and the Cutworm, (Agrotis ipsilon). Several other insect species are considered as minor field pests which are also noteworthy and include Thrips (Thrips, Kakothrips, & Frankiniella), Bud weevils (Apionarrogans), the pea moth, (Cydia nigricana), pod borers, (Helicoverpa armigera & Heliothis spp.), Lima-bean pod borer, (Etiella zinckenella), root aphids (Smynthurodes betae) and leaf miners (Liriomyza spp. and Phytomyza spp.). The most serious and frequently encountered insect pests of the stored grain are Bruchus ervi and B. lentis with Callosobruchus chinensis and C. maculatus also widespread. This chapter describes the morphology, lifecycle and crop damage caused by each of the insects pest species on lentil and provides detailed descriptions of management options for each species with references for each recommended action. For most insect species the use of pesticides is the primary management option. However, for some species, there are known sources of host plant resistance, as well as other integrated pest management options including biological control (e.g., beneficial insect predators and biological pesticides) and cultural practices, that can be used to help manage the pests and where known these are also described.