This document discusses several pests that affect pulses (legumes) such as pigeonpea, urd bean, mung bean, chickpea, lentil, and pea. It describes the biology, identification, damage symptoms and management of major pests like the gram pod borer, spotted pod borer, red gram pod fly, plume moth, whitefly, stem fly, leaf minor, spiny pod borer, field bean pod borer, bean aphid, and gram cutworm. It provides details on the life cycle, host range, morphology of immature and adult stages, and integrated pest management strategies for each.

1. PESTS OF PULSES
RK Panse
Asstt Prof. (Entomology)

2. -Pigeonpea
-Urd bean & Mung bean
-Chickpea
-Lentil
-Pea

3. Gram pod borer: Helicoverpa armigera,
Noctuidae: Lepidoptera
Distribution
World wide
Host range
Cotton, Sorghum, Cumbu, Lab lab, Peas, Chillies, Groundnut,
Tobacco, Bhendi, Maize, Tomato and Soybean
Biology
Site of egg laying- on pods

4. Identification
• Eggs - Spherical in shape and creamy
white in colour, present singly.
• Larva - Shows colour variation from
greenish to brown.
• It has dark brown grey lines on the
body with lateral white lines and also
has dark and pale bands.

5. • Adult
• Light pale brownish
yellow stout moth.
• Forewings are olive
green to pale brown in
colour with a dark brown
“V” shaped spot in the
centre.
Hind wings are pale smoky
white with a broad blackish
outer margin.
• Pupa - Brown in colour, occurs
in soil, leaf, pod and crop debris

6. Damaged
In pigeonpea, chickpea
and other pulses, damaged
pods show clear cut, big,
circular holes;
larvae feed on flowers and
pods with rear part of the
body remaining outside
the pod and granular
faeces are present on the
plant or affected pods.

7. Spotted pod borer: Maruca testulalis,
Pyraustidae: Lepidoptera
Distribution
Tropical and Subtropical regions of world
Host range
Beans, Peas, Castor, Groundnut, Cowpea, Soybean, Tobacco,Red gram, Green
gram and Black gram
Biology
Larval period: 15 –20 days
Greenish white with brown
head
Egg period: 4 days
Lays eggs singly - flowers , buds & pods
Pupation: pupates in dry leaves and
debris
Adult:
Brown forewings
and white
hind wings

8. Identification of the pest
• Larva - Greenish white
with brown head. It has
two pairs of dark spots on
the back of each segment
Adult
• Forewings- light brown
colour with white markings
• Hindwings – white colour
with brown markings at
the lateral edge

9. Symptoms of damage
• Bore holes on the
buds, flower or pods
• Infested pods and
flowers are webbed
together.

10. Management
• Bird perches @ 50 / ha
• Set up light trap @ 1/ ha
• Pheromone traps @ 12 / ha
ETL:
5-6 eggs or 2-3 small larvae / plant
• Effective egg parasitoid, Trichogramma sp.
• Larval parasitoid, Chelonus blackburnii
• NPV @ 1. 5 x 10 12 POBs / ha + 0.1 % teepol
• NSKE 5% twice followed by Triazophos 0.05 %

11. Red gram pod fly: Melanagromyza obtusa,
Agromyzidae: Diptera
Distribution
India, South East Asia and Japan
Biology
Host range
Red gram, Okra and Safflower
Egg period: 2-4 days
Lays eggs singly in pod walls
Maggot: 5 – 18 days
Small white coloured
Pupa: 7-10 days
Adult:
Tiny black fly

12. Identification
Maggot- Small white
coloured
Adult- Tiny black fly

13. Symptoms
Dark brown encrustation
on the pod wall
Dry pods showing pin
head size hole,
Seeds shriveled, striped
and partially eaten
Seed tunnelling caused
by the maggot
Exit holes of pod fly

20. Plume moth: Exelastis atomosa,
Pterophoridae: Lepidoptera
Distribution
India, Nepal and New Guinea
Host plants
Red gram, Lab lab, Niger and Horse gram
Biology
Site of egg laying- on pods

21. Identifications
• Larva - is greenish
brown, fringed with
radiating hairs and
spines
• Adult - is delicate,
brown coloured small
moth with plumed
wings.

22. Symptoms of damage
• Pin head size holes
on pods
• Small spiny
caterpillars and
pupae seen on the
pods

23. White fly
Systemic position:
Scientific name : Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)
Family : Aleyrodidae
Order : Hemiptera
Distribution:
It is widely distributed in
India and particularly
serious on cotton and
brinjal.
ETL:
5-10 adults & nymphs
before 9 a.m.

24. Identification
 Eggs are stalked light yellow in the
beginning but turn brown later on.
 Nymph : Greenish yellow, oval in
outline.
 Pupa: oval in shape, present on the
under surface of the leaves.
 Adult - Minute insects with yellow
body covered with a white waxy
bloom.
Active period: Sep.-Oct.

25. Biology
 A single female lays about 70 stalked eggs singly on the
undersurface of leaves, mostly on the top and middle
leaves of plant.
 The insect can often breed parthenogenetically.
 Egg period ranges from 3-33 days.
 The nymphs remain stationary once they settle down.
 Nymphs moult thrice.
 Nymphal period lasts for 9-18 days.
 The pupal period 2-8 days.
 Total life cycle completed in 14-107 days.
 There are 12-14 overlapping generations in a year.

26. Nature and symptom of Damage
 Chlorotic spots on the leaves.
 Severe infestation results in
premature defoliation
 Development of sooty mould
 Shedding of buds and bolls and
poor boll opening
 It also transmits the leaf curl virus
diseases of cotton.

27. Management practices
• Adopting crop rotation with non-preferred hosts such as
sorghum, ragi, maize etc.,
• Removal and destruction of alternate weed hosts.
• Preferably wider spacing and judicious application of
recommended dose of fertilizers
• Late sowing may be avoided and the crop growth should
not be extended
• Cultivation of most preferred alternate host crops like
brinjal, bhendi, sunflower may be avoided
• Set up yellow pan traps and sticky traps @ 12/ ha

28. Spray any one in early stage (500 L fluid/ha)
•Methyl demeton 25 EC 500 ml or
•phosphamidon 40 SL 600 ml/ha
Spray any one in mid/late stages (1000 L liquid/ha)
Phosalone 35 EC at 2.5 l/ha
Quinalphos 25 EC at 2.0 l/ha
Monocrotophos 36 SL 1.25 l/ha
Triazophos 40 EC 2.0 l/ha
Acephate 75 SP 1.30 kg/ha
Note: Cypermethrin, fenvalrate and deltamethrin cause
resurgence of whiteflies. So avoid repeated spraying of
pyrethroids.

33. Stem fly: Ophiomyia phaseoli,
Agromyzidae: Diptera
Distribution
India, Srilanka, New South Wales, Philippines, Burma, China,
Pakistan,Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore
Biology
Host range
Red gram, Beans , Cowpea, Soybean and Lima bean
Egg period: 3days
Lays eggs singly - pods
Maggot: 5 – 16 days
Small yellow coloured
Pupa: 8-9 days
Adult:
Tiny black fly

34. Identification of the pest
Maggot- Small yellow
coloured
Adult -Tiny black fly
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

35. Management
• Natural enemies, Euderus dividus, E. agromyzae and Eurytoma sp.
• Carbaryl 10 D @ 25 kg / ha or Endosulfan 35 EC 500 ml / ha
Soil application of carbofuran 3G @ 15 kg/ha at sowing
Spray NSKE 5% Timely sowing also minimizes the attack of the pest
Advancing the time of sowing to may instead of July lowers incidence of
the pest

36. Scientific name : Aproarema modicella Dev.
Famiy : Gelechiidae
Order : Lepidoptera
Leaf minor
Host range : Pea, Groundnut, soybean & pigeon pea

37. Identification
• Adult is a grayish black moth, 6 mm long with 10
mm wing span.
• Eggs are shiny white
• Larva is pale green color with black head .
• Pupation takes place in the webbing.
• Active period: August to October
Damage
• Larvae mine in to the leaves.
• Severely attacked field looks "burnt" from a
distance.
• ETL : 5 mines/plant
• 10% leaflet damage
Next

38. Management of leaf feeders
• Castor or sunflower as trap crop for egg laying and
destroy eggs/1st stage larvae, sunflower act as bird
perches as well.
• Use pheromone traps (5/ha) to monitor moth population.
• Erection of bird perchers @ 40-50 /ha.
• Install light trap.
Next

39. Distribution
India, Japan, Srilanka, Australia, West Indies, South America, Egypt and
Europe
Host range
Red gram, Horse gram, Cow pea and Green gram.
Biology
Spiny pod borer: Etiella zinckenella,
Phycitidae: Lepidoptera
Egg period: 5-6 days
Lays eggs singly
Larval period: 10 – 13 days
5 black spots on the prothorax
Pupal period: 9 – 10 days
Adult:
Brownish grey moth
With white stripe

40. Identification of the pest
•Larval – greenish initially,
turns pink before pupation.
•Brownish grey moth
•It has 5 black spots on the
prothorax Adult
•Prothorax – orange in colour
•Fore wing - has a white stripe
along the anterior margin

41. Symptoms of damage
Dropping of flowers and
young pods
Older pods marked with
a brown spot where a
larvae has entered

42. Field bean pod borer: Adisura atkinsoni
Noctuidae: Lepidoptera
Distribution
All over India
Host range
Pigeon pea, Lab lab and Niger
Biology
Egg period: 3 days
Larval period: 14 – 15 days
Brownish green and a humped
anal segment
Pupal period: 11 days
Pupates in soil
Adult:
Brown forewings
with ‘V’ shaped
specks

43. Symptoms of damage
•The larva bores inside the
pod and feeds on the seeds
within.
Identification of the pest
•Larva - greenish having brown
lateral marking
•It has humped anal segment
Adult
Moths are yellowis brown
Forewings - yellow coloured with
‘V’ shaped specks
Hindwings – has pale brown
markings

44. Management
• Collect and destroy the larvae
• Neem oil @ 3% or NSKE @ 5 %
•

45. Bean aphid: Aphis craccivora,
Aphididae: Hemiptera
Distribution
Cosmopolitan, India, Africa,
Argentina, China,Europe and Australia
Host range
Groundnut, Red gram, Peas, Beans,
Safflower, Lablab and Niger
Biology
Nymph:
Pale green coloured
Adult:
Greenish black coloured
Female produces 8 – 30
eggs
5-8 days

46. Management
Aphids
• Entomopathogenic fungus, Fusarium pallidorosium
• Methyl demeton 25 EC @ 0.025% or Dimethoate 30 EC @ 0.06%

47. GRAM CUTWORM
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Scientific name: Agrotis ipsilon
 HOST RANGE: Cereal, Pulses, Grasses

48. IDENTIFICATION:
EGGS: Yellowishwhite
LARVAE:  Dark grey incolour

49. ADULT:
 Heavy bodied
 Grayish-brown or wheat
colour

50. LIFE CYCLE:
The pest is active from October to
April
The moths appear in October and lay
upto 900 eggs on the under surface of
leaves, shoots,steams or in soil.
 The eggs hatch in one week during summer and in two
weeks during winter

51. LIFE CYCLE:
LARVAE Full grown in 4 to 7 weeks
PUPATE for two weeks in the soil.
The life cycle is completed in 7-11
weeks
 There are generally two
Generations in year

52. DAMAGE:
 The caterpillars come out from their
breeding places at night and become
active.
 Cutting down the young plant of gram,
vegetables seedlings etc.
 Just above or slightly below the surface
of soil.
 The cutaway gram seedlings in the field
are indication of its attack

53. CONTROL:
ETL: 2 larvae /meter row
Cultural control:
Hand hoeing
Clean cultivation should be done
The bait is placed in small heap in the infested field
in the evening
Mechanical control:
Trapping the moths by light traps
Hand picking

54. CONTROL
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL:
The pest is control by insect predators
CHEMICAL CONTROL:
Spray
CYPERMETHRIN+MONOCROTOPHOS
EC 500ml/acre
It is also control by using poisoned
BRAN MASH

55. Blue butterfly: Lampides boeticus,
Lycaenidae: Lepidoptera
Distribution
All over India
Larval period: 9-27 days
Pale green
Egg period: 4-7days
Pupal period : 5-7 days
Adult:
Ventral side of wings
with numerous stripes
and brown spots
Host Plants
Cow pea, Red gram, Black gram
and Lab lab.
Biology

56. Identification of the pest
• Larva – It is flat and
slightly rounded; Pale
green with a rough skin.
• Adult - moth is greyish
blue with prominent
black spots in the hind
wings and a long tail;
Ventral side of wings
with numerous stripes
and brown spots

57. Blister beetle: Mylabris phalerata,
Meloidae: Coleoptera
Identification of the pest
•Adult – Elytra are black in
colour with a round orange spot
and two transverse wavy
orange bands across the wings.
Symptoms of damage
The adult feeds voraciously on
buds and flowers

58. Management
In isolated pigeonpea plots
The beetles can be controlled manually by
picking
Most insecticides are not very effective against
these beetles, but synthetic pyrethroids such as
cypermethrin 10 EC @ 1.0 ml/l or lamda
cyhalothrin 5 EC @ 1.0 ml/l work reasonably
well.

59. Tobacco caterpillar
Host range: Polyphagous
• Brown moths with a wing span of about 30
mm and mottled forewings.
• Egg masses about 4 X 7 mm golden brown
on the upper surface of leaves.
• Full grown larvae are stout, cylindrical and
pale greenish brown with dark markings.
• The pupae are reddish brown (in the soil
close to the plant).
• Active period: August-Sep.
Next

60. Damage
• Freshly hatched larvae feed gregariously,
scraping the chlorophyll, soon disperse
and later stages feed voraciously on the
foliage at night, hiding usually in the soil
around the base of the plants during the
day.
• Sometimes the feeding is so heavy that
only petioles and branches are left
behind.
• In light soil, caterpillar bores into the
pods.
Next

61. Tobacco caterpiller
Systemic position:
Scientific name : Spodoptera litura (Feb.)
Family : Noctuidae
Order : Lepidoptera
Distribution:
World wide and Poly-phagous.
ETL:
2 larva/mrl

62. Identification
Egg - Laid in masses which
appear golden brown
Larva - Pale greenish with dark
markings.
Pupa - Pupates in soil with
radish colour
Adult
• Forewings – brown colour
with wavy white marking
• Hindwings- white colour
with a brown patch along the
margin

63. Biology
Active period: July-Nov.
Female lays 5-6 egg clusters of 150-200 eggs.
Incubation period is 5-9 days.
Larvae undergo five instars in an average 22-30 days
to become full grown.
Pupa period 8-10 days
Adult live upto 4 days &
Total life completed in 45 days.

64. Nature and symptom of Damage
Scrapping the epidermal layer,
leaving the skeleton of veins of leaf
During severe attack, only the stem
and side shoots will be standing in
the field without any leaf or bolls
Larvae feed the leaves by making
small holes.
Skeletonized leaf