Insect Pests of Vegetable, Ornamental and Spice Crops

1. Insect Pests of Vegetable, Ornamental and
Spice Crops (HPI203) (2+1)
COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE
V.C.S.G UTTARAKHAND UNIVERSITY OF
HORTICULTURE & FORESTRY
BHARSAR, PAURI GARHWAL, UTTARAKHAND – 246
123

2. 1.MELON FLY
 Scientific name - Bactrocera cucurbitae
 family - Tephritidae
 Order - diptera
Distribution:- India, Pakistan, Myanmar,
Malaysia, China, Formosa, Japan, East Africa,
Australia, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka,
Indonesia, Thialand, Philippines, Taiwan etc.

3. HOST PLANTS:-
 attack solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops.
guava, citrus, pear, fig, cauliflower, cotton,
sunflower, lettuce etc.
Identification:-
Egg-
 The egg is elliptical, about 2 mm long, and pure
white in colour.
Larva
 The larva is a cylindrical shape, elongated, with the
anterior end narrowed and somewhat curved
ventrally.

4.  Last instar larvae range from 7.5 to 11.8 mm in
length.
Pupa
 The puparium ranges in color from dull red or
brownish yellow to dull white, and is about 5 to
6 mm in length.
Adult fly
adult is 6 to 8 mm in length
have reddish yellow thorax with light yellow markings
and the yellowish head with black spots.

5.  Life cycle
 Development period from egg to adult ranges from
12 to 28 days.
 The female may lay as many as 1,000 eggs.
 Eggs are generally laid in young fruit, but are also
laid in the succulent stems of host plants.
 The eggs are deposited in cavities created by the
female using its sharp ovipositor.
 Pupation usually occurs in the soil.
 There may be as many as 8 to 10 generations a
year.

7. Damage
 The larvae feed inside the fruits.
 Infested Fruits become unfit for consumption and drop
prematurely.
 The young fruits can be destroyed in a few days.
 Older fruits show less symptoms, but on split opening, a mass
of maggots is found in pulp.
 In melons the infestation sometimes reaches up to 100 per
cent.
 Infested fruits are also attacked by microbes.

8. Management –
Cultural
 destruction of all infested and unmarketable fruit,
and the disposal of crop residues immediately after
harvest.
Mechanical
 The two most common mechanical methods of
control are wrapping developing fruit with a
protective covering and the use of baited traps.
Biological control
 The larval parasitoid Psyttalia fletcheri (Silvestri)
and the egg parasitoid Fopius arisanus are used.

9.  Irradiation:-
 Sterilization of male melon flies
through irradiation has proven effective in
significantly reducing the number of eggs hatching.
 Chemical control:-
 Proteinaceous liquid attractants
in insecticide sprays is an effective method of
controlling melon fly populations.
 This bait insecticide is sprayed on broad leaf plants
that serve as refugia for melon flies.
 These baits encourage the adults to feed on the
spray residue.

10. 2. HADDA BEETLES:-
 Scientific name - Epilachna vigintioctopunctata
and E. dodecastigma
 Order – Coleoptera
 family – Coccinellidae
 Distribution:
 Hadda beetles are universally distributed. In India
they are commonly found all over the country.
 Host range:
 Attack solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops.

11.  Identification:
 The grubs are about 6mm, yellow, with six rows branched
spines.
 Beetles measure about 8 to 9 mm in length and 5 to 6mm
in breadth.
 E .vigintioctopunctata beetles are deep copper coloured
having 14 black spots on each elytra its tip is pointed.
 Beetles of E. duodecastigma are deep copper coloured
with 6 black spots on each elytra its tip is more rounded.

12. Life cycle:
 After copulation female start laying eggs in the month of
March-April.
 A female lay about 120-180 eggs.
 Eggs are laid in the cluster of 45 (average) on the lower
surface of the leaves.
 The eggs are cigar shaped yellowish in colour
 The larva hatches in 3- 4 days in summer months and in
4-9 days in winter
 Larval period is 14-18 days
 The pupation takes place on leaf surface or on stem or
at the base of the plants.
 During pupation the larva attaches its last abdominal
segment to the surface of host plant by means of sticky
secretion

13.  Pupal period is 10-12 days
 Adult longevity is 60-65 days (male) and 65-70 days (female)
 The pest completes 7-8 generations and lives up to one to
two months.

14. DAMAGE:
 Damage is caused by the beetles and the grubs
 leaves are damaged by feeding on the chlorophyll tissue
between veins
 Grubs and adults scrap out and feed on the green tissues of
the leaves and skeletonize it, which ultimately dries up.
Management:
Cultural
 Crop rotation with non–host crop
 Deep summer ploughing
 Growing of resistent variety
 Growing of trap crops like squash before transplanting
 Thorough irrigation of infested crop can minimize the increase
in pest population.

15.  physical:- The beetles, larvae and eggs can be hand
collected and destroyed.
 Biological control
 Use of natural enemies like-
 Egg parasite- Achrysocharis appannai
 Grubs are parasitized by Solindenia sp., Pleurotropis sp.,
Tetrastichus sp.
 Pupa is parasitized by Pleurotropis foveolatus.
 Chemical control:-
 pest can be controlled by spraying the crop with malathion
(0.05%)
 Spraying calcium arsonate and lime carbaryl (0.1%),
 Parathion (0.025%),
 Fenitrothion (0.05%),
 Diazinon (0.02%) etc
 It is quite effective in keeping the pest population under control

16. 3.RED PUMPKIN BEETLE
 Scientific name - Aulacophora foveicollis
 family - Chrysomelidae
 Order – Coleoptera
 Distribution:
 Tropical, sub-tropical and temperate regions of the world
 Hosts:
 all cucurbitaceous vegetables pumpkin, tinda, melon, ghia tori,
cucumber etc.
 Identification
 The dorsal part of the body of adult beetle is deep orange, while
the ventral side is black.

17.  The beetle appears to be oblong measuring 5-8 mm in length
and 3.5- 3.75 mm in width.
 The posterior part of the abdomen bears soft white hairs.

18. LIFE CYCLE
Each female can lay 150-300 eggs.
Lay eggs, singly or in clusters of 8-9, in moist soil around
the base of the plants.
The egg, period varies from 6-15,
larval period 13-25 days,
Pupation takes place in oval, water proof earthen cells in the
soil.
pupal period 7-17 days,
Adults hibernate during winter in the soil
Beetles resume activity during March and remain in the field
till October
Peak activity is in April-June
Total life cycle is completed in 1-2 months
There are 3-4 generations in a year

20. NATURE OF DAMAGE:
 specially infest pumpkin.
 damage mainly caused by the
adult insects
 feed voraciously on the leaves,
flowers and fruits.
 beetle makes hole in the plant
tissues, causing death or
retardation of growth.
 grubs remain in the soil and feeds
on roots and stem of the plant.

21. MANAGEMENT
 Cultural:-
 Trap crop. Few scattered plants should be grown early in the
season. They should be treated with strong insecticidal spray.
So, that the adults attracted towards plant will die and the
subsequent will have pest free crop.
 Deep summer ploughing
 Use of resistent variety
 Mechanical :-Mechanical Collection and destruction of pest.
 In the early hours of the morning the beetles remain
sluggish.
 They can be collected by hand nets and killed in kerosene
oil.
 Biological:-use of natural enemy


22.  Repellents:- The pest gets repelled by ash or mixture of ash
and insecticidal dust.
 Chemical:-The soil around the root of the plant should be
sprayed with strong insecticides so that the developing grubs
and pupa die before hatching.
 The pesticides used are Lindane (0.1%) @ 200-300 liters/acre,
 Methyl parathione (0.02%) or malathione (0.05%) or
 The plant can be dusted with carbaryl or pyretherum (5%).

23. 4.STINK BUGS
Scientific name: Aspongopus janus,
A. brunneus and A. observus
Family: Pentatomidae
Order: Hemiptera
Distribution:
All over India
Host range:
 Cucurbits especially pumpkins and gourds
Damaging stage:
 Both nymphs and adults

24. Identification
 Adults are flat ,medium sized bags.
 A. janus is about 30mm long ,pronotum and base of eleytra
are bright red while head and wing membranes are black.
 A. brunneus is pale brown in colour and slightly smaller in
size.
Life cycle
 The egg are deposited in long row clinging to the leaves and
tender shoots.
 Incubation period is 9-10 days
 Nymphal duration lasts for 24-28 days.
 The bug emit characteristic buggy smell hence common
name stink bug.

25. Damage
 Both nymphs and adults suck the cell sap and there by
devitalizing the plant and retarding their growthLife cycle
MANAGEMENT
 In early stage of attack collect and destroy the leaves and
twigs bearing congregating bugs.
 Spray carbaryl 0.1%.

26. 5.SERPENTINE LEAF MINER
Scientific name - Liriomyza trifolii
family - Agromyzidae
Order – Diptera
Distribution:
 All over the world.
Host plants:
 Tomato, capsicum, potato, black gram, cowpea, peas, beans,
cruciferous crops, cucurbits, okra, cotton, many ornamental
plants and weeds.

27. IDENTIFICATION:
 Eggs: Newly laid eggs are white, translucent and turn
opaque as the development advances.
 Larvae: The larvae are orange yellow, apodous.
 They move through peristaltic action between the two
epidermis.
 Full-grown maggots are1.88 x 0.70 mm.
 Pupae: Orange yellow initially which turn dark-brown on
maturity.
 They measure1.84 X 0.68 mm
 Adults: The adults are minute grayish black flies with plum
red eyes and a yellow spot on the scutellum.
 The females are bigger (2.01x0.61mm) in size than males
(1.79x0.52 mm).

28. LIFE CYCLE:
 The eggs are deposited singly in
close proximity by embedding them
in to the leaf tissue.
 Fecundity is 22-186 eggs.
 Eggs hatch in 2-3 days.
 Larvae feed through peristaltic
action between the two epidermis.
 First, second and third larval
stages develop in 2-3, 1-3 and 5-7
days.
 Pupal period lasts for 8-10 days.
 Male longevity is 8-12 days.
 Fmales live up to13-17 days.
 Many generations in a year.

29. DAMAGE:
 Damage is caused by the larvae
 Feed on the palisade mesophyll
tissue in between the two
epidermis of the leaf.
 Infested leaves become
transparent papery in the mined
areas
 Photosynthesis is reduced.
 The attack appears during April
and is more pronounced from
June onwards.

30. MANAGEMENT
Cultural:-
 Judicious use of nitrogenous fertilizer reduces the build up of
the pest in endemic areas.
 Use of trape crops like tomato, capsicum,black gram, cowpea,
peas, beans, cruciferous crops, before transplanting
 Severely infested leaves should be removed and destroyed.
Biological:- NSKE @ 4.0 per cent along with sticker is effective.
 Natural enemies especially larval and pupal parasitoids are
active during July-August
Chemical:- The pest can be controlled by spraying the crop with
triazophos (0.15%) or deltamethrin(0.0028%) or imidacloprid
(0.0075%).

31. 6. GREENHOUSE WHITEFLY
Scientific name - Trialeurodes
vaporariorum
family- Aleyrodidae
Order – Hemiptera
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Hosts: Polyphagous
Damaging stage:- nymphs as
well as adults

32.  Eggs are stalked and remain suspended on the lower surface
of the leaf
 Egg remain hidden on the under surface of leave.
 Incubation period is 3 to 8 days
 Development of first, second, third and fourth instar nymph is
completed in 2 to 6, 5 to 8, 3 to 5 and 3 to 6 days,
respectively.
 The total life cycle is completed in 15 to 32 days.
 Four nymphal stages
 Full grown nymph pupates in a yellow pupal case surrounded
by a waxy palisade and waxy fringe.
 Many generations in a year
Life cycle:

33. IDENTIFICATION
 Greenhouse whiteflies are
small insects with white
coloured wings
 The eggs are 0.2 to 0.25 mm
x 0.08 to 0.12 mm
 Newly emerged nymphs are
light yellow in colour
 Last nymphal
 instar is 0.70 to 0.90 x 0.40 to
0.60 mm

34. DAMAGE
 Caused by nymphs as well as
adults
 Suck the cell sap from leaves
 Leaves turn yellow and dry
away.
 Nymphs also excrete honey
dew on which sooty moulds
develops
 Photosynthesis of the plant is
reduced.

35. MANAGEMENT:
Cultural control
 Removal of weed hosts is important to reduce the incidence.
 Protect the nursery by using nylon nets (200 mesh) for 25-30
days.
 Growing of resistance variety.
Biological control -
 Use naural enemies like
Chemical control -
 The pest can be controlled by need based spraying of crop with
imidacloprid (0.0075%) or triazophos (0.15%) or deltamethrin
(0.0028%).

36. MINOR PESTS

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