pest of pulse crops

1. PESTS OF PULSES

2. Pest of Pulses
Sr. No. Common Name Scientific Name Family Order
1. Gram pod borer Helicoverpa armigera Noctuidae Lepidoptera
2. Plume moth Exlastis atomosa Pterophoridae Lepidoptera
3. Blue butterfly Lampides boeticus Lycaenidae Lepidoptera
4. Pod fly Melanagromyza obtusa Agromyzidae Diptera
5. Stem fly Ophiomyia phaseoli Agromyzidae Diptera
6. Pod bug Clavigrella gibbosa Coreidae Hemiptera
7. Lentil pod borer Etiella zinckenela
Treitschke
Phycitidae Lepidoptera

3. Marks of identification:
Moths – stout, light yellowish brown,
forewings pale brown with some black dots,
Hind wings lighter with smoky dark margins.
Caterpillars – greenish with dark grey lines
along the sides of the body.
Host plants: Gram, Red gram, pea etc.

4. Life history:
Eggs- Eggs are laid singly on tender parts of the plants and leaves.
Incubation period 6-7 days.
Larva - larval period 2 weeks.
Pupa- pupation in soil. Pupal period lasts for 1-2 weeks.
Life cycle – completed in 5-6 weeks.
Several generations in a year.
Seasonal occurrence. : Pests are active from November to March.
1-2 wks
Eggs- singly
5-6
wks
6-7 days
2 wks
Larva 4-5
instar
in soil
Adult

5. Nature of damage: The Caterpillars feed on tender foliage and young
pods. They make hole into the pods and damage the developing seeds
by inserting the anterior half portion of their body inside the pods.

6. Management practices:
(1) Ploughing the field after harvest of the crop would destroy the pupae,
nearly by 70%
(2) Hand picking of caterpillars in the initial stage of attack.
(3) NPV of H. armigera @ 250 LE/ha (Prepare the stock solution of 250 LE
and add in 500 Litres of water and spray for 1 ha) or
(4) Spraying with 5% NSKE.
(5) Spraying the crop with 0.05% formothion/quinalphos/ phosalone or spark
1250 ml/ha or dusting dusting with phenthoate 2D/quinalphos 1.5 D/
Phosalone 4D/ malathion 5D/ methyl parathion 2D @ 20 Kg/ ha as soon as
5% pods are damaged, or 2 larvae per metre row are noticed (ETL)
(6) Use 5 pheroman traps / ha to monitor the H. armigera.

7. 2) Plume moth: Exelastis atomosa Wal.
(Pterophoridae: Lepidoptera)
Host plants: Red Gram
Marks of identification:
Moths – Moth-slender, 12 mm in
length, grey coloured with long
narrow wings. Forewings cut into two
parts and the hindwings into three
parts with fringe like border.
Caterpillar - 12 mm long, greenish
brown, fringed with short hairs and
spines.

8. Life history
Eggs are laid on tender shoots, leaves, flowers or pods. Incubation
period is 5 days.
Larval – larval period 4 weeks.
Pupa- pupation on pod surface in pod burrows. Pupal period 2 weeks.
Life cycle – completed within 7 weeks.
Eggs
7 wks 5 days
4 wks
LarvaPupa - Pod
burrows
Adult
2 wks

9. Nature of damage: The caterpillar makes a hole into the
pod opposite to seed developing inside and then inserts its head
into the pod and feeds on the developing seed. When one seed is
finished, the larva cuts another hole opposite to another seed and
damage the seed. The larvae also feed on flower buds.

10. 3)Blue butterfly-Euchrysops cnejus
(Family – Lycaenidae Order- Lepidoptera)
Identification of pest
Egg – Eggs are laid on the buds, flowers, green pods and
matured pods. Greenish white in colour, round in shape
with a slight depression on the top.
Larva –Full grown larva is yellowish green to yellowish
red, ventral surface is light green.
Pupa- Pupa is green in colour, later it darkens and wings are
also visible.
Adult – mid sized butterfly. Colour of wing is violet
metallic blue to dusky blue.

11. Egg ( 4 – 7 Days ) Larva (9 – 27 Days)
Pupa ( 8 – 10 Days)Adult Butterfly
Life Cycle of Blue butterfly

12. Symptoms of damage – Bore holes on buds, flowers, green as
well as matured pods
Nature of damage – the larva bores into the buds, flowers
and green pods just within couple of hours after hatching
and feed inside the developing grains.
Host plants – Red gram, cowpea, black gram and pea
Management
i. Avoid dense and close planting.
ii. Avoid early or late sowing.
iii. Regular soil digging cause death of larvae and pupae.
iv. Egg parasitoid, Trichogramma spp.,
v. Larval parasitoids, Hyperencyrtus
lucoenephila and Litrodromus crassipes
vi. Carbaryl 50 WP@ 1000 kg / ha.

13. Economic Importance: This pest is considered to be one of
the important pests of redgram as it is widely distributed
throughout India, Causing 80% loss in yield of seed.
Adult fly – small, black fly.
Maggot – creamy white, 4.00 mm in length.
Host plants: Red gram and cowpea.

14. Life history:
Eggs- about 38 eggs are laid in pods by a female with the help of oviositor.
Incubation period is 3 days.
Larva- larval period 6-21 days.
Pupa - pupation in larval burrows inside the pod, pupal period 1- 4 weeks.
Adult fly- Adult live for 5 to 12 days.
Life cycle completed in 3 weeks.
Seasonal occurrence - Adult flies are noticed in October and there are 2-3
broods on red gram until harvest.
Eggs- 38
3 wks 3 days
6-21 days
1-4 days
5-12 days
LarvaPupa - in pods
Adult

15. Nature of damage: The maggots after hatching from the eggs
enter into the soft seeds and feed on them. At first the damage
resembles so that of leaf miner as their galleries run just under the
epidermis of seed. Later, they burrow deep down resulting in
decaying of the grain, which become unfit for either consumption
or germination. In severe cases of damage, the pods present twisted
appearance.

16. 4.Stem fly: Ophiomyia phaseoli
(Family – Agromyzidae Order – Diptera )
Symptoms of damage
•Drooping of the tender leaves and – seedling wilt
•Yellowing of young plants.
•Stem become swollen and start ribbing where maggot and pupae are
present
Identification of the pest
•Maggot- Small yellow coloured
•Adult -Tiny black fly
Management
•Soil application of carbofuran 3G @ 15 kg/ha at sowing
•Spray Imidacloprid 70 % WG 500 ml/ha a week after germination and
second round 10 days after first round or NSKE 5%
•Timely sowing also minimizes the attack of the pest

17. Nature of damage:
Both nymphs and adults suck the sap especially from the
pods and cause infested of shrivel grains.

18. Management
ETL: 5/plant
Bird perches 50/ha
Mechanical collection of grown up larva and blister beetle
Ha NPV 3 x1012 POB/ha in 0.1% teepol
Apply any one of the following insectcides:
Azadirachtin 0.03 % WSP 2500-5000 g/ha
Bacillus thuringiensis serovar kurstaki (3a,3b,3c) 5%WP1000-1250 g/ha
Dimethoate 30% EC 1237 ml/ha
Emamectin benzoate 5% SG 220 g/ha
Indoxacarb 15.8% SC 333 ml/ha
Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC 150ml/ha
Spinosad 45%SC 125-162 ml/ha
NSKE 5% twice followed by triazophos 0.05%
Neem oil 2%
Phosalone 0.07%
(Spray fluid 625 ml/ha)

19. 6) Lentil pod borer – Etiella zinckenella Treitschke
( Family – Phycitidae Order – Lepidoptera )
Identification of pest
Egg – Both singly and in clusters on various parts of the
plant including the pods
Larva – Larva feed on floral parts and subsequently, they
bore into the pods to feed the seed.
Pupa – Pupation takes place in the soil at a depth of 2-4 cm.

20. Egg ( 5 – 7 Days) Larva (10-20 Days)
Pupa (10 – 15 Days)Lentil Pod Borer Adult

21. Nature of Damage - The larva consume floral parts, newly
formed pods and seeds inside the developing pods. The
reduction in yield may up to 5 %.
Management – At flower initiation, spray the crop with 750
ml of endosulfan 35 EC or cabaryl 50 WP in 250 liters of
water/ ha.