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NSave Nature to Survive

4 (1) : 129-132, 2010QUARTERLY

SUCCESSION OF INSECT PESTS ON CHICK PEA, CICER ARIETINUM

LINN. IN RELATION TO CLIMATIC FACTORS IN AGRO-ECOSYSTEM

OF INDO-GANGETIC PLAIN OF BHAGALPUR (BIHAR, INDIA)

S. K. MANDAL AND S. P. ROY*

University Department of ZoologyT. M. Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur - 812 007E-mail: drsp_roy@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION

Cicer arietinum (Linn.) commonly called chick pea is an important pulse crop ofthe Indo-Gangetic basin and Tal area, a highly productive region of the Indiansub-continent, are attacked and infested by an array of insect pests causing injuriesto their seedling stage, vegetative stage, flowering stage, pod formation stage, podfilling stage, pod maturity stage of this leguminous plant. Cicer arietinum Linn. isa dominant pulse crop exploited recklessly ranging from vegetables to varieties offood by the people. Pests are dynamic in nature and succession of pests occurwith the nature of the agro-ecosystem and reports are available on the successionof the insect pests of chick pea from the different parts of the country (Singh andSingh, 1978; Shekhar et al., 1991; Subharani and Singh, 2004).Considerablestudy has been done on the pests attacking and infesting chick pea in differentregions of the India (Srivastava, 1964; Pradhan, 1964; Reddy et al., 1998;Prabhakar and Roy, 2008; Mandal et al., 2009).

The perusal of pertinent literature indicate that there is paucity of information onthe succession of insect pests on chick pea in relation to climatic factors exceptthe work of Prabhakar and Roy (2008) and Mandal et al., (2009). Therefore, it isdesirable to take up a detailed study on the succession of insect pest complexes

of chick pea under the agro-climatic conditions prevailing in Indo-Gangetic basin.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The crop was observed weekly from seedling stage till the harvest for the incidenceof various pests and natural enemies during morning hours (7.00 to 9.00 A.M.),noon (12.00-14.00 P M) and evening (17.00-19.00 P M) from the period October,2008 to April, 2009. Absolute population of pests per plant was recorded from 5randomly selected and pre-determined plants per plot in case of pests such aslarvae, weevils, aphids, bugs and predators (coccinellid, spiders, ants and birds)(Pradhan, 1964). The aphid population was recorded randomly from three flowersin each plot. The pods from pre-determined and randomly selected plants (5 perplot) at harvest were opened to count pod borers (larval population).

The physical factors of were obtained from meteorological observatory, SabourAgriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur (Rajendra Agriculture University). Theminimum as well as maximum temperature ranges were recorded. The optimum

values of temperature and humidity were also recorded (Table 1).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The cascade of pests and their succession on different parts of the chick pea,

Cicer arietinum Linn. in seedling, vegetative, flowering , pod filling and pod maturity

stages have been depicted in Table 2. The pest succession on the Cicer arietinum

Received : 26.10.2009

Revised : 16.12.2009

Accepted : 21.01.2010

*Corresponding author

KEY WORDS

Succession

Pests

Chick pea

Phenology

ABSTRACT

The paper deals with the succession of pest

diversity on the pulse crop, Cicer arietinum

Linn., prolifically grown in the agro-ecosystem

of the Indo-Gangetic plain, Tal region of

Bhagalpur (Bihar). It was observed that the

pest species infesting different parts of this

legume plant were foliage, flower, pod, leaf,

stem and root. The status of these pests had

been determined depending upon the rate of

their feeding and extent of damages caused by

them to this pulse crop. The major pests

collected and identified were Odontotermes

obesus, Helicoverpa armigera and minor pests

were Aphis craccivora Koch.Their association

with host plants were analysed in relation to

temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind

velocity, the potent physical factors of the

environment. It was observed that the

phenology of this plant was correlated with

the succession of the pest complexes. Out of

various climatic factors taken into consideration

the combination of temperature and humidity

were found more effective in controlling the

pest species in their ambient environment.

130

S. K. MANDAL AND S. P. ROY

Linn. has been depicted in Plate 1 in which pod borer of chick

pea has been shown.The natural enemies associated with

pests of Cicer arietinum Linn. were shown in Plate 2. The

predators and parasitoids were shown in Plate 2 respectively.

In Plate 2, Fig. 4 and 5 indicates a bird predator which has

been considered as the principal biotic factors controlling

pests in pod maturity stages in Cicer arietinum Linn.

The soil types of the region harbor a rich fauna of termites

Odontotermes obesus (H), seriously infesting the sowing

germination and emergence of chick pea (Table 2). Some

Month TempºC Rain fall R.H.(%) Wind

Max Min m.m. Rainy 7 AM 2 PM velocity

days Km./hr.

Oct. 2008 31.8 21.5 29.4 3 93 65 2.4

Nov. 27.9 14.1 0.0 0 91 51 1.6

Dec. 23.2 12.7 0.0 0 98 70 2.2

Jan. 2009 21.9 9.9 2.7 1 99 64 3.2

Feb. 24.8 9.2 5.4 1 95 49 4.7

Mar. 30.6 12.8 0.0 0 94 31 5.3

Apr. 35.0 19.4 2.8 2 73 36 8.6

Table 1: Monthly weather conditions of the region

Plant stages Succession of pests

Sowing Odontotermes obesus H.

Germination Do

Emergence Do

End of juvenile stage Grub of coleopteran pests

Floral initiation Caterpillar of Helicoverpa armigera Hubner

Flowering Caterpillar of Helicoverpa armigera Hubner

Start of grain filling Caterpillar of Helicoverpa armigera Hubner

End of grain filling Final stage of caterpillar of Helicoverpa

armigera Hubner, Aphis craccivora Koch

Maturity Final stage of caterpillar of Helicoverpa

armigera Hubner, Aphis craccivora Koch

Harvest ripe Aphis gossypi, Lipaphis erysimi,

Acridotheres tristis, Bubulcus ibis

Table 2: Cascade of pests of Chick pea during the period October

(2008) to April (2009)

Plate 2: Predators of pest complexes (1) Limnerium sp. (2) Coccinella

septempunctata (3) Lady bird beetle (4) Common myna (Acridotheres

tristis) (5) Large Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Coleopteran grubs were observed as major pests at the end of

juvenile stage of the plant. The floral initiation, flowering, start

of grain filling and end of grain filling periods were chiefly

destroyed by Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner).

The chick pea crop was attacked by the caterpillars of

Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner). These caterpillars are pod

borer,leaf and flower eater. They are the most effectively

damaging pest of this pulse crop (Plate 1).

However, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) is a serious pest of

Plate 1: Life cycle events of host and pests (1) Grub of coleopteran

pest of Cicer arietinum (2) Eggs and larva of H. armigera eating leaf

chlorophyll parts (3) Larvae eating whole leaf (4) Larvae eating shoot

and bud (5) Larvae eating flower (6) Larvae eating pod (7) Pupa and

adult of Helicoverpa armigera (8) Infestation of Aphis craccivora

Koch

131

more than 200 species of plants (Zalucki et al., 1994) including

economically important crops like cotton, tomato, sorghum,

ground nut, chick pea, pigeon pea, sunflower, maize etc. This

insect has wide geographical distribution occurring

throughout Africa, Central and South-east Asia, Southern

Europe, the Middle East, eastern and northern Australia, New

Zealand and many Pacific Islands (Fitt, 1989). High mobility,

fecundity and polyphagy are major factors contributing to the

serious pest status of H. armigera (Hubner) (Fitt, 1989). Reed

and Pawar (1982) estimated the annual economic loss due to

this pest as US $ 300 million for chick pea and pigeon pea in

India.

Flower buds of chick pea plants had significant effect on the

fecundity of gram pod borer fecundity. Larval food of flower

buds of chick pea was more suitable in promoting egg-

production in H. armigera as compared to leaves. Mullick

and Singh (2001) had observed that larval food of chick pea

leaves promoted higher egg-production in females as

compared to flower buds. Survival of larvae has also been

observed high on chick pea leaves (Singh and Mullick, 1997).

These positive factors in the flower buds and leaves of chick

pea ultimately promote population build up of H. armigera

by contributing higher egg-production in subsequent

generation.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Oct. 2008 Nov. Dec. Jan. 2009 Feb. Mar. Apr.

RAIN FALL m.m. RAIN FALL Rainy days

WIND VELOCITY Km./hr.

Figure 1: Showing the physical factors during the period October,

2008 to April, 2009. (b) The range of rainfall and wind velocity

during the period of study

Figure 1: Showing the physical factors during the period October,

2008 to April, 2009. (a)The range of maximum and minimum

temperature and humidity.

R. H. (%) 2:00pm

R. H. (%) 7:00pm

Temp ºC Min

200

Temp ºC Min

250

100

150

0

50

Oct., 08 Nov., 08 Dec., 08 Jan.,09 Feb., 09 Mar., 09 Apr., 09

At this stage of chick pea several species of aphids viz. Aphis

craccivora Koch, Aphis gossypii Glover and Lipaphis erysimi

Kaltenback were found infesting the plant most vigorously.

The high biomass and species concentration of prey at the

maturity and harvesting stage attracted the parasitoids and

predators (Plate 2). These aphids were considered as a

heterogenous species infesting various host plants at different

rates i.e. they showed host-plant specialization. However,

recent studies revealed that the evolution of any potential to

adapt to newer host plants might be quite large and it hold the

potential of becoming pest on an increasing number of crops

(Vanlerberghe-Masutti and Chavigny, 1998). The predator

Coccinella septempuntata Fabr. has been recorded as an

important biological control agent of the larval stage of

Helicoverpa armigera. Different morphs of several species of

aphids were also controlled by this predatory ladybird beetle.

From these observations concerning Coccinellid-aphid

interaction, it can be concluded that nutritional quality (in

terms of energy content) of A. gossypi, A. craccivora and

Lipaphis erysimi preyed by ladybird beetle which play a major

role in showing their predatory potential.

High species concentration of host-pest on chick pea at the

maturity and ripening stage attracted a large number of bird

predators of which Acridotheres tristis and Bubulcus ibis were

identified as major resident birds controlling this pest

population of chick pea in the region.

The incidence of pest complexes differs considerably in

respect of agro-climatic conditions. The heavy rainfall (1600.0

mm. annual rainfall) and flood in this region may be the

important physical factors (Fig. 1b) controlling the incidence

and infestation of pest population on this plant. Prabhakar

and Roy (2008) and Mandal et al., (2009) have recorded 8

major pests infesting Cajanus cajan and other pulse crops in

this region. The faunal make up of the pest diversity is under

the control of prevailing physico-chemical conditions. In the

region of north – eastern Bihar rainfall, humidity, flood and

polyculture are some of the factors controlling the pest species

in natural ecosystem.

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agroecosystem. Annu. Rev. Ent. 34: 17-52.

Mandal, S. K., Parbhakar, A. K. and Roy, S. P. 2009. Insect pest

complexes on a pulse crop pigeon pea , Cajanus cajan Linn. of Indo-

Gangetic plain of Bhagalpur ( Bihar, India ). The Ecoscan. 3(1&2):

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S. K. MANDAL AND S. P. ROY