A detailed explanation about several non insect pests of agricultural importance.

1. ACHARYA N.G RANGAAGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
Agricultural college, Bapatla
Course No : ENT 511
Course Title : Pests of field crops
Topic : NON-INSECT PESTS
Submitted to,
Dr. Ch. Sandhya rani
Professor
Department of entomology
Agricultural college
Bapatla.
Submitted by,
P. Vijay babu
BAM 18- 41.

3. CONTENTS:-
1. Introduction
2. Crab
3. Snails and slugs
4. Rodents
5. Nematodes
6. Mites
7. Birds
8. References

4. 1. INTRODUCTION
 Mollusca is the second most diverse animal phylum in
terms of number of described species. [80,000 sps]
 They are important pollution indicators as their faecal
pellets contain high concentration of heavy metals
(Godan 1983).
 Slugs and snails are shown to be capable of spreading
tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) (Norris et al 2003).
 It is estimated that losses caused by non-insect pest is
utmost 510 crores worldwide, of which 369 crores rupees
loss is caused by rodents alone!!!
[www.indiaagristat.com]

5. 2.CRAB

6. Taxonomic position:-
 Kingdom : Animalia
 Phylum : Arthropoda
 Class : Crustacea
 Subclass : Malacostraca
 Order : Decapoda
 Family : Cancridae
 Genus : Paratelphusa
 Species : hydrodromous

7. SYMPTOMS :-
• They cut the young paddy plants near the ground level.
• They are active during night; as they are nocturnal.
• Besides their crop damaging activity, they prepare a series
of burrows in the paddy
• Due to which water is not retained in the field.
• Thus, crab is major crustacean pest of paddy crop, it
requires intensive control.

8. Crabs infesting the rice crop

9. Damage done by crabs to the paddy field

10. Identification of pest :-
Eggs: The eggs are bright orange
when first deposited, but
become yellow, brown, and then
dark brown before hatching.
Larvae: First stage larvae, called
zoeae, development to this stage
requires 31-49 days.

11. Juveniles:
• The juvenile "first crab" is typically 2.5 mm wide.
• Juveniles gradual1y migrate in to shallower, less-saline
waters in upper estuaries and rivers, where they grow and
mature
Adult:
• Sexual maturity is reached after 18-20 post larval
moults, at the age of 1-1.5 years.
• Males continue to moult and grow after they reach
sexual maturity
• But females cease to moult and grow when they mature
and mate.

13. Management strategies :-
 Application of FYM at
the time of puddling
reduces crab damage.
 Crab burrows fumigated
with the cyanogas dust.

14. • Poison baiting of 0.5% parathion with rice syrup at
the rate of 80-100 ml per burrow is quite effective is
controlling the crabs.
Poison bait with insecticide

15. Manual collection of crabs from rice fields

16. 3. SNAILS AND SLUGS

17. Taxonomic position:-
 Kingdom : Animalia
 Phylum : Mollusca
 Class : Gastropoda
 Order : Sacoglossa
 Family : Elysiidae
 Genus : Pomacea
 Species : canaliculata

18. SYMPTOMS :-
•Missing seedlings
•Floating of cut leaves.
•Cut stems
•Decreased plant stand
•Sparse or uneven stand
Missing seedlings in paddy

19. Nature of damage :-
• Snails rasp plant tissue and
cut of stems with their file-like
radula or horny tongue.
• The golden apple snail is
considered a major problem in
direct-seeded rice.
• During dry periods or
drought, the golden apple
snails remain inactive in rice
fields.

20. Identification of pest :-
 The golden apple snail has a
muddy brown shell.
 Its succulent flesh is creamy
white to golden pinkish or
orange-yellow.

21. Slimy layers formed in their
pathways

22.  Neonates or the newly
hatched snails have soft
shell.
 The juveniles or young
snails are <1.5 to 1.6 cm.
 The eggs are bright pink or
strawberry pink.

23. Factors favouring pest
development :-
 wetland and dry land habitats
 irrigation canals and rivers
 presence of young seedlings
 continuous flooding of the rice fields

24. Management Strategies :-
1. Mechanical Control :-
 Increase mortality by
mechanical action.
 Use of a hand-operated
device to smash egg
clusters.

25. 2. Cultural methods :-
 An off-season tillage to crush
snails can also be employed.
 Snails can also be exposed to sun.
 Draining the field is also advised.
 Crop rotation with a dry land crop
and fallow periods is also
recommended as control.
Off season tillage of field

26. 3. Chemical methods :-
 Molluscicides such as metaldehyde is
recommended.

27. 4. Biological methods :-
 The use of common carp,
Japanese crucian, heron, and
weasels as biological control
agents against the golden apple
snail.
 A firefly nymph is also an
effective natural enemy of the
snail.
 Birds prey on both eggs and
neonates.
 Rats and snakes also feed on
them.
Snake eating snail

28. Firefly nymph [Lampyridae]
Firefly nymph feeding
on snails

29. Rice-fish integration for
golden apple snail control
Cyprinus carpio
“Global advances in ecology and
Management of Golden apple snail.”

30. Crocodiles also can actively feeds on snails

31. 4. Rodents
squirrels Rats

32. Taxonomic position:-
 Kingdom : Animalia
 Phylum : Chordata
 Class : Mammalia
 Order : Rodentia
 Family : Muridae

33. Symptoms :-
 Chopped young seedlings
 Irregular cuttings of stem
 Patches of depressions seen in the field at early stage
 Chewed developing buds or ripening grains
 Tillers cut near base at 45° angle. Cut tillers may be seen
in patches.

34. Nature of damage:-
 The rats enter the nurseries and nibble the seeds
 After transplantation, the seedlings are cut.
 At the shoot blade stage, the culm is cut and
 At ripening stage, the ear heads are cut and stored in
the burrows.

35. Identification of pest :-
 Lesser bandicoot / mole rat / field rat, Bandicota
bengalensis
 Grass rat, Millardia meltada
 Gerbil rat, Tatera cuvieri, T. Indica
 Indian field mouse, Mus booduga
 Rat, Rattus rattus rufuscens, Rattus meltada

36. Gerbil rat

37. Grass rat

38. Lesser bandicoot

39. Indian field mouse

40. Rattus rattus , Rattus meltada

41.  Rice field rats are black to brown in
colour.
 They have scaly, thinly furred tails
and distinctive chisel-like
incisors.
 They can grow up to 12.5 cm/year,
too long!

42.  The rice field rat, Rattus
argentiventer, is the
major rodent pest.
 It is distinguished by a tuft
of red hair at the base of
its ears.

43. Factors favouring pest development:-
 lowland irrigated rice crops both the wet and dry
seasons
 Availability of food, water, and shelter
 presence of breeding sites
 presence of major channels and village gardens

45. Management Strategies :-
 Physical control includes hunting, rat drives, digging,
and exclusion.
 Narrow bund maintenance (45 × 30 cm).
 Warfarin 0.5% 1 part with 19 parts of popped
corn/rice/dry fish and keep in field.
 Setting up of owl perches at 40 -50/ha.

48. Farmers using BOW TRAP for controlling rats in Tamil nadu

51. Wired mesh rat trap

52.  Wildcats, snakes, and birds are predators of rice field
rats.
 Locate the burrows opened by the rats and insert two
pellets each of 0.5 or 0.6g of aluminium phosphide per
burrow as deep into the burrow as possible and plug
the entrance with a mud ball.

53. Burrow fumigation

54. Rat killed due to the effect of rodenticide

55. Squirrels damaging on
Coconut

56. 5. NEMATODES

57.  There are several kinds of plant parasitic nematodes.
 White tip nematode of rice
 Root knot nematode
 Wheat seed gall nematode
 Banana burrowing nematode
 Citrus nematode
 Sheath nematode
 Pin nematode
 Stubby root nematodes
But the three important nematodes that causing devastating
losses are,
Considerable
losses

58. Rice white tip nematode :-
 Aphelenchoides besseyi
 Female with single ovary out
stretched. Vulva posterior.
 The nematode is carried beneath
the hull of the rice kernel in
quiescent, immature, usually
preadult stage.
 Infective stage is – Juvenile stage
2 (J2).

59. Nature of damage :-
 White tip of seedlings.
 The emerged panicles are
generally short and flower
becomes sterile.
 Glumes of affected spikelet
are white and do not change
in shape and size.

60. Seed gall nematode :-
 Anguina tritici
 First plant parasitic
nematode identified.
 Females are spiral in form and
immobile.
 Males usually shorter than
females.
 Infective stage is – Juvenile
stage 2 (J2).

61. Nature of damage :-
 Infested plants
generally show
profuse tilllering.
 Glumes may be loosely
arranged and galls
replace the seeds.
 Conversion of all or
few grains the the ear
into cockles.

62. Normal seeds Vs damaged seeds

63. Root knot nematode :-
 Polyphagous
 Host range : Tomato,
brinjal, bhendi, chilli,
cowpea, green gram and
tobacco.

64. Nature of damage :-
 Yellowing of foliage
 poor emergence and death of
young seedlings.
 Early poor fruiting for a
relatively shorter period.
 Wilting and drying of crop in
the field in patches.
 Presence of galls or knots on
roots is the important
diagnostic symptom.

65. MANAGEMENT :-
Cultural practices :-
 Cereals followed by vegetables
and vice versa reduces
Heterodera avenae and
Meloidogyne incognita (crop
rotation).
 crop root destruction
 Flooding and fallowing
 Solarisation of soil
 Growing antagonistic crops
like marigold and Panola
grass.
Soil solarisation

66. Mechanical methods :-
 Floatation in plain water or brine avoid
nematodes in wheat seed with
Anguina tritici.
 Sieving and winnowing method.

67. Winnowing method Brine floatation of wheat seeds

68. Physical methods :-
 Hot water treatment:- Dipping of seeds, tubers,
bulbs, suckers in hot water at 50˚c will help in
reducing the nematodes.
 Use of nematode free stock :- used for seed gall
nematode, leaf nematode, stem nematode.
 Irradiation:- Expose potato infected with Globodera
to 20,000 gamma rays affect the eggs.

69. Biological control :-
 Nematophagous fungi :- Nematophthora sp.
 Predaceous fungi :- Arthrobotrys spp,
Oligospora spp, Dactylaria doedycoides.
 Mycorrhiza :- Glorris fasiciculatum
 Bacteria :- Pastueria penetrans by
Pseudomonas flourescens
 Oppurtunistic fungi :- which colonize nematodes
 Pacilomyces lilacinus
 Hirsutella thompsoni

70. Chemical methods :-
 Nematicides are of 2 types,
 Fumigants – DD mixture, chloropicirin, Methyl
bromide.
 Non fumigants – Parathion, carbofuran and
methomyl.

71. 6. MITES

72. Importance of mites :-
 Tiny creatures causing severe losses to a variety of
agricultural and horticultural crops particularly under
dry conditions.
 Even acting as stored grain pests ('straw-itch mite‘).
 Also harmful to beneficial insects like honey bees.
 But predatory mites are very useful in biological
control.

73. Phytophagous mites :-
1. Eriophyidae (gall or itch or rust mites)
2. Tenuipalpidae (false spider mites)
3. Tarsonomidae (broad mites)
1 2 3

74. Nature and symptoms of damage :-
 Nymphs and adults are
infective stages which suck sap
from plant parts like leaves,
shoots, fruits etc.
 Formation of white blotches
on leaves in vegetables.
 Characteristic red spots that
enlarge and coalesce making
whole leaf reddish.

75.  Production of felt like
growth on leaves in
jasmine.
 Curling of leaves
downwards in chillies.
 Formation of warts and
longitudinal tissues in
nuts of coconut.

76. Mites of agricultural importance:-
 Jowar mite - Oligonychus indicus
 Red spider mite - Tetranychus telarius
 Citrus rust mite - Phyllocoptruta oleivora
 Coconut mite - Aceria guerreronis
 Jasmine mite - Aceria jasmini
 Chilli mite - Polyphagotarsonemus latus
 Coffee mite - Oligonychus coffeae

77. Reddening of leaves in jowar
Citrus rust mite
[MANGU]
Coconut eryophid mite damage

78. Management of mites :-
 Removal of alternate hosts in the field.
 Spraying of sulphur @ 3g/L, Dimethoate 30EC @
2mL/L, Dicofol (kelthane) @ 5mL/L.
 Fungal pathogen, Hirsutella thompsoni reported to be
effective against coconut eriophid mite.
 Predacious insects on mites.
 Eg:- Scolothrips indicus
Scymnus gradis.

79. 7. BIRDS

80. Nature of damage :-
 A number of birds feed upon grains from ear heads of
field crops; fruits and vegetables.
 They actually consume very little quantity but often
cause more damage than what they actually eat.

81. Crow (Corvus Splendens Vieillot) :-
Distribution: Throughout India found up to
about 1200m height

82. Life cycle
Eggs: These eggs light blue to greenish with dark spot.
• Adults ;greyish black in colour.
• These birds don’t breed in their first year.
• Nest are usually situated on trees, telephones poles
etc. and made by shrubs and trees branches.
These are bold bird with no fear of human.

83. Eggs of Corvus sp.

84. • Crows cause considerable damage to ripe fruits in
orchards and also ripening grains of maize and
fruits.
• The crows are particularly attracted to the grains
when they are exposed on a cob.
• They may prove a menace to the successful growth of
field crops as well as harvest of fruits. They are often
seen in flocks in maize and other fields.
Damage

85. Management
• Acetylene exploders have been
reported effective against them in
orchards.
• Thallium sulphate baits are
used for there slow action may
gives better kills.
• They can be trapped in large V-
shaped traps.

86. Large V- shaped trap for bird management

87. Parrot (Psittacula spp.)
Distribution : common throughout India found at
height below 1200 m.

88. • Eggs: lays 3 to 6 white ,oval eggs.
• Breeding season: from Feb-May.
• They use debris for nesting in holes in walls
and trees without building a real nest structure.
Life cycle

89. Female Vs Male

91. • Acetylene exploders
are reported to be
effectives repellents.
• They can be caught
with net-traps and
sticky substance
(lassa).
Management

92. Metallic ribbons

93. Damage
• Do some damage to ripe tomatoes and figs in garden.
Management
• Nothing reported, but they
can be probably controlled
with strychnine-poisoned
baits or net-traps.

94. • Easily trapped with box traps
or automatics elevator types.

95. References:-
 Elements of economic entomology by T. Vasantharaj
and David 5th, edition.
 Wikipedia- the encyclopedia.
 Applied entomology by T. Kumaraswamy and
Raghumoorthy 14th edition.
 P De Bach - Biological control of insect pests and
weeds., 1964 - cabdirect.org
 Insects and mites of crops in India by MRGK Nair
[1975]
 Rats, mice and people: rodent biology and management
Singleton, Grant R.; Hinds, Lyn A.; Krebs, Charles spat.
 www.indiaagristat.com

96. Submitted by,
P. Vijay babu,
BAM 18-41,
Msc (Ag), 1st year,
Department of entomology,
ANGRAU,
Agricultural college,
Bapatla.
Submitted to,
Dr. Ch. Sandya rani,
Professor,
Department of entomology,
ANGRAU,
Agricultural college,
Bapatla.