1. Type of Pests
(Insects, Non-insect Pests)
NIRBHAY SUDHIR PIMPLE
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
ABSAHEB GARWARE COLLEE
KARVE ROAD.PUNE-4.
2. Type of Pests (Insects, Non-insect Pests)
Introduction
A pest is an organism which is detrimental to humans
or human interest. Living organisms are derided as
pests as they cause damage to agriculture by feeding
on crops or parasitizing livestock or acting as carrier of
diseases of man and livestock. The term "plant pest"
is any species or strain of plant, animal, or pathogenic
agent injurious to plants or plant products. The most
important pests in the order of importance are
constituted by insects and non-insect pests like mites,
nematodes and gastropods (snails and slugs).
Although rodents, birds and mammals, which are
inimical to welfare of man are also called pests.
Bollworm damage in cotton
Cabbage butterfly larvae
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3. Insects as pests
Insects are the most diverse and dominant pests
among animals. They damage crops right from
germination to harvest in field and also in
godowns during post-harvest storage. No plant
part is virtually spared by insect pests. Different
insects can utilize different plant parts due to
specialized mouth parts. In this way, they have
reduced competition among themselves. Pests
like termites feed on underground plants parts as
well crop residues and also damage timber,
furniture, books and other commodities.
Planthopper damage in rice
Cabbage butterfly damage
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4. Types of insect pests
Based on feeding habits insects can be
categorized as
Tissue consumers
Sap suckers
Tissue consumers include pest affecting stems,
leaves, flowers, fruits and roots, and also crop
residues.
Sap suckers suck sap from different plant parts
affecting growth and development of crops.
Stem borer damage in rice
Planthoppers in rice
Crop lodging due to planthopper damage
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5. Tissue consumers
A. Stem damaging insects:
Stem borer: Rice stem borer, maize
stem borer, sugarcane early
shoot borer, top shoot borer
banana pseudo stem borer,
mango stem borer
Shoot fly: Maize, sorghum and wheat
shoot fly
Node borer: Sugarcane internode borer
Cutworms: Gram cutworm
Banana pseudo stem borer
Mango stem borer
Cutworm larva
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6. C. Leaf damaging insects
Leaf folder: Rice leaf folder, cotton leaf
roller, grape leaf roller
Leaf miner: Pea leaf miner, citrus leaf
miner, mustard leaf miner
Defoliators: Grasshoppers,
defoliating beetles
Rice leaf folder larva and adult
Grasshopper
Hadda beetle
Leaf miner damage
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7. Flower feeding insects
Rice gundhi bug
Banded blister beetles
Thrips
Rice gundhi bug
Banded blister beetle
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8. B. Fruit damaging insects
Fruit borer: Tomato fruit borer,
lady finger fruit borer,
brinjal shoot and fruit
borer
Pod borer: Gram pod borer,
pigeon pea pod borer,
pea pod borer
Bollworms: Cotton pink bollworm,
spotted bollworm, American bollworm
Fruit fly: Mango fruit fly, cucurbit fruit fly,
guava fruit fly
Fruit sucking moth: Orange sucking
moth
Fruit borer damage
Pod borer damage in gram
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9. Root damaging insects
Termites: Wheat, maize,
sugarcane, gram
White grubs: Sugarcane,
ground nut, maize
Root weevils: Rice root weevil
Mole cricket: Wheat, maize,
gram, rice
Termite galleries
Termite workers White grubs
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10. Sucking insects
Stem suckers: Rice planthoppers,
sugarcane woolly aphid
Leaf suckers: Rice leafhopper, cotton
leafhopper, lady finger
leafhopper, cotton whitefly,
cotton mealy
Flower suckers: Rose thrips,
mungbean thrips, rice
panicle thrips, mustard aphid
Fruit suckers: Fruit sucking moth
Root suckers: Wheat root aphid
Mustard aphid White fly
Rice brown planthopper Rice green leafhopper
Rice white-backed planthopper
Thrips
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11. Mites also known as acarina belong to
phylum Arachnida, to which spiders also
belong. These are minute organisms that
can rarely be seen with naked eyes. Mites
cause heavy damage in crops especially in
vegetables and ornamentals. Mites
constitute a large group with its members
inhabiting a variety of habitats like soil,
water, plants, animals, processed food and
animal waste. Mites damage crops by
sucking sap from them.
Non-insect pests
A. Mites
Red spider mite
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12. Damage
Phytophagous mites infest a wide
variety of plants leading to yellowing,
discolouration, curling or other type of
deformation of leaves or defoliation;
development of galls on leaves;
deformities of plants such as swelling
of nodes and internodes, stunting of
shoots or malformation of fruits.
Mite damage in brinjal
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13. Predatory mites
Predatory mites feed on phytophagous
mites thus aiding in biological control of
harmful mites. Amblyseius fallacis,
Agistemus fleschneri and Zetzellia mali
are some of the species of predatory
mites. Their size is more or less similar
to that of spider mites
Predatory mites
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14. B. Snails and Slugs
Snails and slugs belong to phylum,
Mollusca and hence also known as
molluscs. Giant African snails is most
important snail pest having spread
worldwide due to accidentally as well as
deliberately. Snails possess a protective
shell covering, formed by their own
secretion, while slugs lack protective shell.
The snails are very active during rainy
season. Their activities are very much
correlated with the rainfall and humidity.
Giant African snail
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15. Damage
Garden flowers and ornamentals are among the
most susceptible plants to attack of giant African
snail. Host range of giant African snail is very big
and includes papaya, banana, cole crops,
lobhia, beans, cucurbits, brinjal, marigold,
portulacea, violet, money plant, arecanut, rubber
buds and coffee seedlings. Marigold and Luffa
are among the most preferred food of this pest.
It also drinks rubber sap. Papaya is also
damaged to serious level. All parts of papaya
plant are susceptible to the attack of the giant
African snail.
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16. Plant Parasitic Nematodes
Nematodes are popularly called as round worms.
Nematodes belong to the phylum Aschelminthes.
Plant parasitic nematodes constitute one of the
important groups of organisms which live in soil
around plant roots. They are often microscopic,
long and slender, confined usually to the top soil of
20-25 cm. Plant parasitic nematodes cause
extensively damage to cultivated plants, resulting
in heavy losses. Damage may be caused directly,
or indirectly when the phytoparasitic nematodes
transmit plant viruses or allow pathogens to gain
entry into the plant through damaged areas
created by these nematodes.
Magnified picture of root knot nematode
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17. Symptoms of Nematode Damage
Root knot nematode
Galls on roots, stunting and wilting as in lady’s
finger.
Cyst nematode
Shallow root system, chlorosis (yellowing of leaves)
and wilting during hot weather even in presence of
sufficient soil moisture
Ear cockle nematode
Stunted growth with wrinkled and twisted leaves,
reduced and irregularly developed earheads, wheat
grains converting into seed galls or cocks
White tip nematode
Yellowing, browning and finally whitening of 2-5 cm
leaf tips which then dry up and hangs down, kernels
becoming chaffy and distorted as in the case of
paddy
Root knot nematode damage
Ear cockle nematode damage
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18. Crabs
Crabs are arthropods which belong to group
Crustacea and are aquatic by nature. The rice
fields crab, Paratelphusa hydrodrumus lives in
holes in the sides of field bunds and irrigated
channels etc., where water does not stand.
Channels and holes are protected by heaping soil
around their openings.
Nature of damage
Seedlings are cut down into bits at ground levels
and carried to the holes for feeding. In addition to
crop damage, crab holes made into bunds lead to
beaches and water loss.
Crab
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19. Millipedes
Millipedes are also arthropods and nocturnal, which
live beneath leaves, stones, bark and logs as well as
in soil. As the name indicates, these have a large
number of legs.
Millipedes commonly occurring in India are Lulas sp.
on Jowar and Harpurostreptus sp. on tapioca. They
are brownish black in colour and about 8.7 cm in
length.
Nature of damage
The adults and juveniles feed on tender buds and
roots of newly planted crops. The tapioca millipedes
feed on tender buds and roots of newly planted sets
resulting in stunting and often death of plants. Some
of the millipedes consume groundnut kernels.
Millipedes
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20. Rats and mice
Rats cause severe damage to crops and
domestic commodities, thereby requiring to be
controlled effectively. The atmosphere and
surroundings of human habitations are fouled by
them to the extent that it becomes intolerable for
man. Several types of diseases are known to be
transmitted by rats. Besides consuming
considerable quantity of food, they contaminate
much more by urine, faeces, and hairs and
sebaceous secretions. Religious sentiments of
some people come in the way of rat control.
Mus booduga
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21. Hare and rabbit
Hares and rabbits are one of the best
known wild mammals and of considerable
economic importance. They are nocturnal
and graze mainly on grass, herbs, scrubs,
bulbs, roots, bark etc. Instances of their
becoming pests on agricultural crops are
widely known throughout the country. They
do considerable damage to crops like
wheat, barleygram, maize, jowar, bajra,
pea, mustard, bean, cabbage and others.
They are browse on young fruit trees and
forest plants.
Hare
Rabbit
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22. Let’s Sum Up
A pest is an animal which is detrimental to humans or human interest.
Most important pests are among insects and non-insect pests like mites,
nematodes, and snails and slugs.
Based on feeding habits insect pests can be categorized as tissue consumers and
sap suckers.
Tissue consumers damage stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and roots, and also crop
residues.
Sap suckers like aphids and whiteflies suck sap from plant parts.
Mites such as red spider mites cause heavy damage in crops especially in
vegetables and ornamentals.
Giant African snails is most important snail pest having spread worldwide and
causes heavy damage in ornamentals and vegetables.
Crabs and millipedes also damage crops in certain localities.
Rodents and some birds and mammals are also harmful to man.
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