Sucking Pests of Vegetable Crops

Abstract

Vegetable crops are cultivated worldwide for its nutritional benefits and neutraceutical properties. It is the only source to meet the goal of nutritional security. Sucking insect pests are considered as one of the major biotic constrains for vegetable production in India. These pests cause direct damage by sucking the sap via specially adapted mouthparts and secrete the sugar rich honeydew deposit on plant surface and create the black sooty mould, thereby hindering the normal photosynthesis of the plants. Apart from direct damage, they also act as vectors for several viral diseases. In recent past, some of the insect pests of vegetable crops become major and are gradually attaining the major pest status in different regions of the country due to changes in the cropping pattern, ecosystems and habitat, climate and wider use of high input intensive vegetable varieties/hybrids. Sucking pests like whitefly (Bemisia tabaci); leafhopper (Empoasca motti) on bitter gourd; red spider mite (Tetranychus spp.) on okra, brinjal, cowpea, and Indian bean; yellow mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) on chilli; and mealybug (Phenacoccus solenopsis) on okra, chilli, brinjal, and tomato, especially in protected conditions have intensified the severity of occurrence in different parts of country. Success of management of insect pests highly depends on correct identification and choice of proper control measures. An attempt has been made in this book chapter to compile information on pest identification, its biology, and nature of damage and integrated management of sucking pests for sustainable vegetable production.