Pod Fly Research Articles

Seasonal Incidence of Insect Pests on Blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] in Malwa Region of Madhya Pradesh, India

The study investigated the prevalence of major insect pests and their natural enemies in Blackgram crops, focusing on leaf hoppers, whiteflies, Bihar hairy caterpillars, spotted pod borers, stem flies, coccinellids and spiders. Throughout the crop period, the population dynamics of these pests were monitored, revealing varying levels of infestation. The high population of 5.60 leafhoppers per plant and 3.50 larvae per plant of Bihar hairy caterpillar were recorded during 35th week of the crop cycle. The high population of 6.90 whiteflies per plant, 2.60 spotted pod borer larvae per plant and 60 per cent of pod fly infestation were observed during 36th, 37th and 38th week of the crop cycle, respectively. The highest populations of coccinellids 2.40 beetles per plant in 35th week and 2.00 spiders per plant in 36th week recorded duringthe crop cycle. The maximum temperature and relative humidity showed significant positive correlation and minimum temperature and rainfall showed negative non-significant correlation with the population of leaf hopper, Bihar hairy caterpillar, whitefly, stem fly, spotted pod borer and coccinellids. Relative humidity showed positive significant correlation and maximum temperature, minimum temperature and rainfall showed negative non-significant correlation with population of spider.

Morphological Basis of Resistance in Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) against Pod Borer Complex

Field experiment was carried out to determine the morphological basis of resistance in pigeonpea against pod borer complex during kharif 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 at College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Bharuch (Gujarat). Among the twelve pigeonpea genotypes/cultivars screened, BP-17-02 was found highly resistant and BP-16-182, BP-16-228, BP-16-261, ICPL-87119 and BP-16-166 were found resistant whereas, GNP-2 and Vaishali were found highly susceptible against pod borers. Genotypes/cultivars namely, BP-16-178, ICPL 87119, BP-16-182, BP-16-228 and BP-16-183 were found resistant to pod fly. Genotypes/cultivars having short pod length, narrow pod breadth, narrow seed breadth, more seeds/pod, more seed weight, more seed density, thick pod wall thickness and long trichome length recorded lower pod borers population. Pod length had a significant positive correlation with Maruca vitrata, Exelastis atomosa and Melanagromyza obtusa. Significant positive association was found between pod breadth and larval population of Helicoverpa armigera and Maruca vitrata. Significant negative correlation was found between Exelastis atomosa and pod wall thickness.

Influence of different sowing dates on seasonal incidence of pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa in pigeonpea

Influence of different sowing dates on seasonal incidence of pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa in pigeonpea

Bio efficacy of selected insecticides against pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) in pigeonpea

In the present study, efficacy of selected insecticides was evaluated against pod fly, Melanagromyza obtuse (Malloch) over three consecutive years in pigeonpea cultivar, Rudreswara (WRG-65). The relative efficacy of nine insecticides was assessed in terms of pod fly population and pod damage. The insecticides were applied twice at 15 days interval, starting from pod formation stage. The results revealed that thiamethoxam 25WG at 0.4g/l + Jaggery @ 5g/l followed by flubendiamide 480 SC @ 0.3ml/l proved significantly superior by reducing pod fly population and pod damage by recording highest grain yield (1582 kg ha-1) and best Cost: Benefit ratio (1:2.39). The potential insecticides observed in this study may be used in rotation with other effective ones in order to avoid development of insecticide resistance in pod fly.

Genetic Diversity Analysis in Medium Duration Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp.] Germplasm for Different Agronomic Traits and Biotic Factors

For the people living in tropical and sub-tropical regions, Pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp.] is a very essential pulse crop because of its high nutrition along with several important features such as feed and fodder for animal consumption, fuel for household work etc. Despite being a multipurpose and attractive crop, its productivity has remained up to 700-800kg ha-1. Along-with low productivity, Pigeon pea is also affected by a number of biotic stresses such as fusarium wilt, pod borer, pod fly. It is therefore, need of the hour to search for the genetic diversity present in the existing cultivars along with wild relatives and landraces. The present investigation was conducted with forty Pigeon pea germplasm to assess the genetic diversity by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA is an important statistical technique which reduces the dimension of the much large data set into a more concise data set while retaining a significant amount of information from the original data. PCA analysis revealed a significant amount of variability present in the germplasm. PC1 contributed maximum variance towards diversity (22.05%) followed by PC2 (15.87%), PC3 (11.39%), PC4 (10.18%), PC5 (9.10%) and PC6 (8.18%). Scatter plot diagram showed that genotypes number 1 (CRG 82), 5 (GJP 1721), 19 (ICPL 15062), and 31 (BAUPP-18-8) exhibited the highest diversity.

Damage of Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) and Management Potential of Newer Insecticides in Pigeon Pea

Background: The pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) is one of the major biotic constraints in increasing production and productivity of pigeonpea crop throughout the country and it causes up to 100 per cent losses in field condition. Injudicious use of pesticides against this destructive pest, further ignites the problem of resistance, resurgence and environmental and ecological imbalances. Methods: Experiments were conducted at Banda University of Agricultural and Technology, Banda during kharif, 2020 and 2021. To estimate the bio-efficacy of insecticides for the management of M. obtusa in pigeonpea the experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with eight treatments and three replications. Pod and grain damage were assessed and C:B ratio was calculated. Result: First appearance of pod fly was noticed in third standard week. Throughout cropping period highest pod damage was recorded in eighth standard week and lowest pod damage was recorded in twelfth standard week. Emamectin benzoate 5 SG @ 11g a.i./ha + Dimethoate 30 EC @ 300 g a.i./ha was the best treatment as it exhibited minimum pod damage and highest yield.

Population dynamics of pod pest complex of pigeonpea

A field experiment was conducted at Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, to study the population dynamics of pod pest complex of pigeonpea. The observations were recorded at fortnightly intervals starting from flower initiation stage upto the harvest of the crop. The peak activity of gram pod borer (3.63 larvae/plant), spotted pod borer (3.63 larvae/plant) and pod bugs (4.62 bugs/plant)was observed during 50th Standard Meteorological Week. The pod damage caused by Helicoverpa armigera (25.02%) and Maruca vitrata (16.77%) was also highest during 50th Standard Meteorological Week. The maximum pod damage by plume moth (12.02%) was noticed at 52nd Standard Meteorological Week. The 52nd Standard Meteorological Week witnessed highest pod fly population (10.80 maggots / 10 pods), per cent pod damage (27.75%), and per cent seed damage (17.51%).The correlation studies of incidence of pod pest to prevalent weather parameters revealed that, gram pod borer and the spotted pod borer were more prevalent as the minimum temperature rose, but pod fly and pod bugs population increased negatively. There was a negative correlation between the population of all pod pest, including gram pod borer, spotted pod borer, pod bugs and pod fly with maximum relative humidity, minimum relative humidity and rainfall.

Estimation of Yield Losses Caused by Insect Pests on Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.)

Field experiment was carried out to estimate the yield losses in pigeon pea crop due to insect pests during kharif 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 at College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Bharuch (Gujarat). Results revealed that avoidable yield loss due to insect pests in pigeon pea was recorded up to 38.48% when no plant protection measures are taken. Amongst different insect pests, the maximum damage was recorded due to pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (34.90%) followed by pod sucking bugs, Clavigralla gibbosa (29.75%) and pod fly, Melanogromyza obtusa (23.64%). Pod damage due to spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata and tur plume moth, Exelastis atomosa was recorded up to 14.09% and 5.60%, respectively.

Current scenario of insect pests and mite on drumstick (Moringa oleifera) in south India and their management

Dynamics of insect pests play a crucial role in understanding their occurrence on a crop. Many insect pests infest on drumstick at various phenophase of the crop and limit the productivity. In the present study, the current scenario of insect pest as well as beneficial arthropods associated with drumstick was assessed and developed appropriate management strategies for major pests. The arthropods found on drumstick was leaf eating caterpillar (Noorda blitealis), aphids (Aphis craccivora), tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis antonii), bihary hairy caterpillar (Spilosoma obliqua), stem borer (Batocera rubus Batocera) and pod fly (Gitona distigma).The beneficial insects include coccinellid beetles, Cocinella septmpunctata Linnaeus, spiders: Oxyopes shweta Tikader (Oxyopidae), Thomisus spp (Thomisidae), Nescona sp and braconid wasp, Disophrys sp.; pollinators such aslittle bee-Apis florea Fab. and bumble bee, Bombus sp were recorded on drumstick. The information generated in the study would help in initiating the appropriate pest management strategies at right time to minimize  pesticide residue on the crop.Â

Biodiversity and Succession of Insects of Blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) During rabi in the Western Undulating Zone of Odisha

The field experiment was conducted to study about insect biodiversity and their succession in blackgram crop at the crop research farm, College of Agriculture, OUAT, Bhawanipatna during rabi 21. Twenty seven insects belong to seven orders and twenty two families were recorded during different growth stages of crop in an overlapping manner. Beside the insects twelve numbers of predators, three numbers of parasitoids and two pollinators were also noticed. The highest diversity index and evenness of insects were recorded at 42 SMW (0.902 and 1.000) followed by 50 SMW (0.833 and 0.710) respectively. The diversity of insects was almost uniform because of the evenness of the species. The insect order homoptera and the insect white fly came under superdominant class of dominance during all the growth stages of crop, whereas coleoptera and hemiptera were categorized under sub-dominant class at vegetative stage and flowering to podding stage of crop growth respectively. The insect orders hemiptera, coleoptera, diptera and hymenoptera and the insects i.e., galerucid beetle, jassid, stem fly, aphids and thrips came under recedent class of dominance. The relative abundance and dominant status of insect’s revealed that the maximum numbers of insects were belongs to orders homoptera (75.22%) followed by hemiptera (7.92%), coleoptera (6.30%), diptera (4.62%), hymenoptera (4.05%), orthoptera (0.89%), lepidoptera (0.86%) and odonata (0.09%).Chrysomelid beetles were noticed first during the early vegetative stage of crop followed by stem fly, white fly, leaf webber and semiloopers at the vegetative stage, tobacco caterpillar from late vegetative to pod filling stage, thrips in flowering stage, pod borers, pod bugs, aphids, pentatomid bugs and bihar hairy caterpillar from flowering to crop maturity stage and the pod fly and pod wasp from pod filling to pod maturity stage of the crop. Jassids, grasshoppers and predators like spiders, coccinellids beetles and parasitoids were appeared from mid vegetative stage and continued till fag end of the crop. The peak activities of insects were recorded from flowering to pod maturity stage of the crop.

Management of pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) through newer insecticides

A field experiment was carried out at research farm of T.C.A., Dholi (Muzaffarpur) during Kharif season 2019-2020 to manage the pod fly Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) through newer insecticides. All eight novel insecticides were substantially potential over control in lowering the damage caused by pod fly and also recorded increased yields. Minimal pod and grain damage was recorded in chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (11.63 % and 8.42 % respectively) followed by flubendiamide 480 SC (14.66% and 15.37%). The highest yield (1945 kg/ha) was recorded in chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC as against 682 kg/ha in untreated control with a Cost Benefit Ratio (CBR) of 1:41.8.

Insect pest spectrum of french bean Phaseolus vulgaris (pole type) grown under nethouse

Pole bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an annual herb grown vertically on a support. The present study asseses the insect pests infesting this bean along with their natural enemies under nethouse conditions. The study was done at the Hi-tech Horticulture Unit, UAS, Dharwad. The results revealed five species of insects and one mite species infesting pole bean at various phases of crop growth. These include- the serpentine leaf miner (Liriomyza trifolii), pod fly (Melanagromyza obtusa), seed fly (Anthomyia sp.), leafhopper (Ianagallia bifurcate), tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura), and red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). The natural enemies include- Brachymeria sp. (Chalcididae), Ichneumon sp. (Ichneumonidae) and Microplitis sp. (Braconidae).

Positioning New Pesticide Chemistries in the Management of Pod Fly, Melanagromyza obtusa Malloch (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in Pigeonpea

Background: Pigeonpea is an important pulse-cum-grain legume crop of India. Major constraint in its production is the insects damage. Pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa is of regular occurrence in South and Central India causing yield loss to the tune of 60 to 80 per cent particularly in late maturing pigeonpea crop. Due to its feeding habit as an internal borer, cultural, biological and mechanical methods are ineffective in reducing the damage due to pod fly and insecticides play a paramount role in managing their population under field conditions. Hence, present study have been aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different new pesticide chemistries against pod fly in pigeon pea ecosystem. Method: Two field experiments were conducted during Kharif 2019 and 2020 in RCBD using pigeonpea cv. GRG 811 with 14 treatments replicated twice. Two sprays were imposed at 15 days interval initiating from pod initiation stage. At maturity, number of damaged pods were recorded and expressed as percentage. Grain yield was recorded and benefit cost ratio was also worked out. Results: Among the screened insecticides, fipronil 4+thiamethoxam 4 SC @ 40+40 g a.i./ha followed by thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 50 g a.i./ha and fipronil 40+imidacloprid 40 WG @ 160+160 g a.i./ha provided better control of pod fly in terms of reduction in pod damage (69.54, 62.13 and 62.57%) and seed damage (72.51, 71.35 and 70.39%) respectively over untreated check. The average grain yield of 1577 kg/ha was highest in fipronil 4+thiamethoxam 4 SC @ 40+40 g a.i./ha followed by fipronil 40+imidacloprid 40 WG @ 160+160 g a.i./ha (1555.5 kg/ha) and thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 50 g a.i./ha (1536.5 kg/ha). Whereas, B: C was higher in fipronil 4+thiamethoxam 4 SC @ 40+40 g a.i./ha (2.84) and thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 50 g a.i./ha (2.83). Therefore these insecticides can be used for effective management of pod fly.

Screening of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) mini-core germplasm sub-set for tolerance to wilt and pod borers

Biotic stresses are the major production constraints of pigeonpea crop including legume pod borer, spottedpod borer and pod fly and Fusarium wilt which cause significant yield losses. A mini-core sub-set of pigeonpeaconsisting of 146 accessions along with 4 control entries were screened against pod borer complex and wilt under field conditions in 2018 and 2019 at the research farm of ICAR of National Institute of Biotic Stress Management, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Three accessions, viz. ICP7314, ICP7426 and ICP14819 were found to be moderately resistant to pod fly. Additionally, ICP 7426 was moderately susceptible to both the Lepidoptera pod borers. Five accessions, ICP9045, ICP9414, ICP9750, ICP14900 and ICP14903 were resistant to Fusarium wilt and 9 more accessions were moderately resistant. The identified accessions can be utilized in crop improvement which may provide resistance and/or tolerance against pod borers and wilt disease.

Evaluation of Bio-rational Insecticides and Bio-pesticides Against Pod Borer Complex in Pigeon Pea

The field experiments were conducted at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani, West Bengal, India during kharif seasons (July–October) of 2013 and 2014 to evaluate the efficacy of different bio-rational pesticides against the major production constrains of the pigeon pea which is the pod borer complex. The experiments were laid out following randomized block design comprising eleven treatments including control with three replications. Treatments were applied twice with pneumatic knapsack at fifteen days interval starting with initiation of target pest at pod formation stage. Pre-treatment counts of larvae of different lepidopteran borers had been taken from arbitrarily selected five tagged plants from every replication discarding the border effect and subsequently post treatment counts have been taken at 3, 7 and 14 days after each spray. Number of maggots per pod had been recorded for pod fly infestation at before spray and after spray at 7 and 14 days after each spray. Pooled of two years results revealed that flubendiamide recorded lowest mean larval population of Helicoverpa armigera (0.98 larvae plant-1) and Maruca vitrata (0.65 larvae plant-1) with highest seed yield.Among the bio-pesticides, Bacillus thuringiensis and azadirachtinfound to beeffective against pod borer complex in pigeon pea. Pooled of two seasons data showed that fenvalerate, spinosad and flubendiamide were effective treatments against pod fly with 1.13, 1.63 and 1.75 maggots pod-1 respectively.

WRGE 121: A high yielding mid-early duration pigeonpea variety for Southern Zone of India

A mid-early duration high yielding pigeonpea culture WRGE 121 as Telangana kandi-2 was developed at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Warangal, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Telangana. and was released by Central Variety Release Committee during 2020. It obtained by the cross between parents WRGE-14 X IC-825406, it has a duration of 155-165 days, suitable for kharif sowing. This variety recorded yield on an average of 1677 kg/ha which is 30.71, 28.50 and 10.60 per cent higher over PT0012 (national check), TS-3R (Zonal check) and PRG-176 (local check), respectively. It recorded maximum yield of 3082 kg/ha in Gulbarga, Karnataka. The variety has 100 seed weight of 9.0 - 10.0 g with a protein content of 23.05 per cent. It is moderately resistant to fusarium wilt disease and tolerant to pod fly. The variety WRGE-121 is suitable for Southern Zone of India which includes Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Keywords: Pigeonpea, midearly, south zone, high yielding, wilt

Reaping the Potential of Wild Cajanus Species through Pre-Breeding for Improving Resistance to Pod Borer, Helicoverpa armigera, in Cultivated Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.).

Simple SummaryPigeonpea is an important legume crop that is severely affected by various insect pests, especially pod borer. Because there are low resistance levels to pod borers in the cultivated pigeonpea gene pool, it is necessary to introduce resistance-related traits from its wild relatives. In this study, we conducted a series of crosses to introduce traits related to pod borer resistance from two wild relatives of pigeonpea into two popular cultivated varieties. We generated populations from four different crosses and screened these populations for traits related to pod borer resistance: i.e., low levels of insect damage, high concentrations of insect-deterring compounds in the seeds, and the presence of trichomes on the leaves. The most promising lines were tested across seasons and locations. Ultimately, we identified 21 lines with excellent traits related to pod borer resistance. These lines will be useful for breeding new insect-resistant pigeonpea cultivars. The availability of such cultivars will reduce the use of pesticides to control pests on pigeonpea crop.Pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) causes the highest yield losses in pigeonpea, followed by pod fly (Melanagromyza obtusa). High levels of resistance to pod borer are not available in the cultivated genepool. Several accessions of wild Cajanus species with strong resistance, and different resistance mechanisms (antixenosis and antibiosis) to pod borer have been identified. These accessions can be utilized to improve the pod borer resistance of cultivated pigeonpea. Using pod borer resistant Cajanus scarabaeoides and Cajanus acutifolius as pollen donors and popular pigeonpea varieties as recipients, pre-breeding populations were developed following simple- and complex-cross approaches. Preliminary evaluation of four backcross populations consisting of >2300 introgression lines (ILs) under un-sprayed field conditions resulted in identifying 156 ILs with low visual damage rating scores (5.0–6.0) and low pod borer damage (<50%). Precise re-screening of these ILs over different locations and years resulted in the identification of 21 ILs having improved resistance to pod borer. Because these ILs were derived from wild Cajanus species, they may contain different alleles for different resistance components to pod borer. Hence, these ILs are ready-to-use novel and diverse sources of pod borer resistance that can be utilized for improving the pod borer resistance of cultivated pigeonpea.

Abundance of pigeonpea pests in relation to crop phenology under organic and conventional farming systems

The abundance of pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner) and pod fly (Melanagromyza obtusa Malloch) was studied in organic and conventional farming systems of pigeon pea (cv. Vaishali) at Navsari Agricultural University (NAU), Gujarat. The highest larval population (14.68 ± 2.97 and 12.70 ± 3.11 larvae/ plant in organic and conventional farming systems) and highest pod damage (15.12 ± 5.42 and 13.23 ± 4.57/50 pods) due to pod borer were noticed at the pod formation stage. Correlation of pod borer population and its damage with crop stage was significant and positive (‘r’ = 0.461 & 0.411 and ‘r’ = 0.455 & 0.45The highest larval (maggot) population of pod flies was noticed at pod maturity stage (28.31 ± 5.70 and 25.44 ± 5.70 larvae/ 50 pods). Similarly, the highest seed damage due to pod fly was noticed at harvest (76.50 ± 2.83 and 71.67 ± 7.79 %). The correlation of pod fly population and seed damage with crop stage was significant and positive (‘r’ = 0.746 and 0.736 and ‘r’ = 0.931 and 0.929).

A high yielding pigeonpea variety CRG 2012-25 as CO 9 released for Southern Zone of India

A long duration high yielding Pigeon pea culture CRG 2012-25 as CO 9 was developed at the Department of Pulses, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore was released by Central Variety Release Committee during 2019. It is a cross derivative of CO 6 x IC 525427 with a duration of 170 -180 days, suitable for kharif sowing. This variety yields on an average yield of 1700 kg/ha which is 17.58, 19.00 and 14.61 per cent yield increase over CO 6 (Local check), WRP 1 (Zonal check) and ICP 8863 (national check), respectively. It recorded maximum yield of 2697 kg/ha in Tandur, Telangana. This variety has bold seeds (100 seed weight of 9.0 - 10.0 g) with a protein content of 23.65 per cent. It is moderately resistant to wilt and SMD diseases and the pests viz., Maruca and pod fly. This variety is suitable for the southern zone of India which includes Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Key wordsPigeon pea variety, long duration, national release, the southern zone

Screening of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] against Tur Pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in long duration pigeonpea genotypes

The pigeonpea was infested with the number of insect pests at various stage of crop growth. Out of which the incidence pattern of C. gibbosa was studied. The result of the investigation pertaining to the “Screening of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] against Tur Pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in long duration Pigeonpea genotypes” was carried out in 2018-19 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. This insect was studied during reproductive phase of the crop during 2018-19. The very first presence of pod fly, Some insect populations were observed during the crop's reproductive period. Pod Fly's First Incidence, M. obtusa was observed in all genotypes during the 4th standard week of 2018-19. The various peak of the pod fly population was reported in different genotypes from the 6th standard week to the 11th standard week. The peak population of maggots was observed in the 11th standard week in the genotype MAL- 13 (AVT1), AVT1-704, AVT1-706 and AVT1-709 with population of (2.61 maggots/plant), (2.42 maggots/plant) and (2.40 maggots/plant), respectively. Pod fly's M. obtusa the damage ranged from 27.33 per cent in the genotype AVT2-904 to 51.00 per cent in cultivar AVT1-703 among all genotypes screened by the genotype. The percentage of grain damage caused by pod fly damage ranged from 12.68% in genotype AVT2-904 to 30.52% in genotype AVT2-907 Highest grain damage was recorded in genotype. In AVT1-704 the cereal yield of different genotypes was from 617kg / ha to 1434kg / ha with AVT1-708 genotype.