Abstract
The tea mosquito bug (TMB), Helopeltis theivora is a serious pest on tea, cashew and cocoa. Of late, H. theivora expanded the host range attacking certain weeds, vegetables and medicinal plants. Following a farmer complaint, field investigations on eggplant and amaranth plot at Kollam District, Kerala, India were conducted. Individual plants were observed for the symptoms, immature or adult stages of pests. The investigations revealed new feeding hosts of H. theivora on eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) and green amaranth (Amaranthus sp.). The infestation caused 98% damage on eggplant. Blighted appearance of leaves and scabs were noticed on leaves and fruits of eggplant, respectively whereas whitish speckles were observed on amaranth leaves. The red ant, Oecophylla smaragdina (F.) was found as a potential predator of TMB on eggplant ecosystem. The current observations on TMB highlight the first report of the pest on cultivated eggplant and amaranth. The expanding host range of TMB on a wide spectrum of economic plants warrants extensive and exhaustive pest surveillance and intensive scouting and monitoring mechanism for designing effective pest management solutions.
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