This document summarizes the major insect pests affecting common pulse crops grown in India and Bihar, including pigeonpea, mung bean, urdbean, chickpea, pea, and lentil. The main pests are gram pod borer, cutworm, pea stem fly, leaf miner, pod borer, hairy caterpillar, and pod fly. Management strategies include monitoring, use of light and pheromone traps, cultural practices like intercropping and date manipulation, natural enemies, NPV applications, and integrated pest management approaches combining cultural, biological and selective chemical controls.

1. WELCOME

2. Insect Pests of Major Pulses Crops
Manish Kumar Yadav
PhD Entomology

3. Pigeonpea, Moong
bean, Urdbean, Chickpea,
Pea and Lentil are common
pulses crops grown in India
and our state, Bihar.
These crops are rich in
protein, particularly
essential amino acids,
lysine and are a major
protein sources in India

4. The major pests attacking these
crops are gram Pod borer,
Helicoverpa armigera, cutworm,
Agrotis ipsilon ( Gram), Pea stem
fly, Ophiomyia phaseoli, leaf
miner, Chromatomyia horticola,
pod borer, Etiela zinkenella (Pea
pod borer) Helicoverpa armigera
(Lentil), gram pod borer, pod borer,
pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa,
Bihar hairy caretpillar, Spilosoma
obliqua, Red Hary caterpillar,
Amsacta moori (moong and
urdbean)

7. Management of Pigeonpea,
mungbean, and urdbean pests
1st Monitoring of gram pod
borer, and pod fly
Use of light trap Lepidopteran
borer and beetle (Required for
Bihar situation)
Use of Pheromone trap for gram
pod borer

8. • Sticky trap for pod fly
2nd Cultural practices Mixed
and or intercrop of
pigeonpea with compatible
companion maize, sorghum
Manipulation of date of
sowing
field sanitation: removal of
alternate hosts
Long duration pigeonpea,
may escape gram pod borer,
if they mature by first week
of March as it is in practice
n Bihar

9. Natural biological control
• Several species of parasitoids (Anthocephalus sp,
Telenomus sp for gram pod borer and Eurytoma sp for
pod fly ) predators and spiders)
• NPV use @ 250LE per hectare , Efficacy of NPV can
be improved by adding crude sugar and ultraviolet
protection like tinopal.
• Preparation of B.T. with chemical insecticides has
improved the control

10. Chemical control
• Economic threshold – 1 larva/plant of gram pod
borer, and 10 per cent webber shoots in case of
Maruca testulalis , 10 per cent leaf webber larva/pant
• NSKE 5%, cypermethrin0.006%,
Deltramethrin0.004% as spray
• fenvelerate 0.4% or Quinalphos1.5% dusting for
lepidopteran pests
• Monocrotophos 0.044, dimethoate 0.03% and
imidacloprid 0.01%

11. Mung and urdbean
• Manipulation of sowing date early planting
(October early)
• Intercrop with – pigeonpea, cowpea,
groundnut and rajma etc.

12. Chickpea, pea and lentil
• Rabi pulses yield are low due to attack of several insect-
pests
• The important insect pests are pod borer, Etiela
zinkenella and stem fly and gram pod borer, Helicoverpa
armigera for gram Pea stem fly, Ophiomyia phaseoli,
cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon, and pod borer, Helicoverpa
armigera, Etiella zincknella for pea
Cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon, pod borer, Etiella zincknella
and Helicoverpa armigera

13. Management
1. Early planting during October
2. Intercrop with mustard, barley, linseed and
coriander
3. Field sanitation i.e., summer ploughing
4. Biological control: Helicoverpa armigera-
Compoletis chlorodae Agrotis ipsilon Bracon
kitcheneri predators and Cocinella spp.

14. Chemical control
• Imidacloprid, cypermethrin @0.006%, deltamethrin
0.004%, fenvelerate, 0.002% spray
Fenvelerate dust, chlorpyriphos methyl parathion
dust @20-25kg/ ha
• Termite control (Soil pests) seed treatment @ 1 L/
quintal or pre sowing soil application with dust.
• insecticides chlorpyriphos dust 1.5%, Fenvelerate
0.04% quinalphos1.5%225kg/ha
Economic threshold- 5-6moths ( Helicoverpa
armigera) or 1-1.5 larvae/10 plants at pod initiation
stage are considered initiation of control measure.

15. IPM
• Timely sowing in October or early maturing varieties
Mixed cropping with non-host plants like linseed,
mustard, barley and coriander (3:1 ratio)
• Provision bird perchies objects i.e., 75/ha
• Use of HaNPV @25oLE?HA+ 1% tinopal and 0.5%
Jagery sprayed at evening time
• Apply insecticides deltamethrin, 0045, Cypermethrin
6%, NSKE 5% Pre sowing application at sowing time
@10-15kg/ha and spray with dimethoate or
imidacloprid.

16. THANK YOU