Management of Pod Borer (Helicoverpa Armigera) in Pigeon Pea Cajanus Cajan

Pigeon pea is a major legume crop in the tropics and subtropics and accounts for 5 percent of world legume production [1]. Out of the world’s total area of 2.8 million hectares under pigeon peas, India has about 2.5 million hectares under this crop. In terms of nutritive value Carbohydrate 57.60%, Calcium73mg/100g, Phosphorus 304mg/100g Protein 22.3% Iron 508mg/100g, Fat 1.7%, Minerals 3.5%, Fiber 1.5%

Among pests, gram pod borer, H. armigera is one of the most dreaded insect pests in agriculture, accounting for the consumption of over 30 per cent to the total insecticide use worldwide. Frequent and rapid changes in cropping patterns and agro ecosystems, the polyphagous nature of the pest, and its cosmopolitan abundance  have multiplied the problem by manifolds globally. The problems of this pest are magnified due to its direct attack on fruiting structures, its voracious feeding habits, its high mobility, and fecundity; it’s multivoltine, overlapping generations with facultative diapauses, its nocturnal behavior, migration and propensity for acquiring resistance against insecticides [2].

The other lepidopteron borer viz., spotted pod borer, plume moth, pod fly, and blue butterflies are also potential pests causing heavy losses which may range up to 20 – 30 percent.

Pigeon pea (Arhar) is also known as red gram or tur.It is an important pulse crop after gram in India. It is mainly eaten in the form of a deal. Pulse is also known as poor men’s meat because it is rich in iodine, iron essential amino acids, protein, fat, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrate. India ranked first in area & production in the world. More than 80% of tur production comes from 6 states of Maharashtra, MP, Karnataka, UP, Gujarat and Jharkhand. Maharashtra is the largest producer of tur daal the principal source of protein in a vegetarian diet in India. The state produces 28% of the national output. The net per capita per day availability of pulses has decreased from 61 gm to 32 gm from 1951 to 2010, with decreased production there has been an imbalance in demand and supply resulting in soaring import bills, unpredictable price rises and low net profit compared to competing crops. Bihar contributes about 3.06 percent in production and 2.35 percent in area. Pigeon pea is one of the most preferred pulses consumed in Bihar but the area and production have been reduced to 21.9 thousand ha and 36.5 tons respectively in 2013-14 which was in 1965-66 172 thousand ha and production of 147.8 thousand tones. In Bihar traditionally long duration varieties (>200 days) of pigeon pea are grown which are highly photoperiod-sensitive taking about 40 weeks to mature exposes in the crop to terminal drought stress and frosts. Almost every year the crop is damaged by frost leading to lower yields and poor quality seeds. There is a need to identify sources of tolerance/ resistance for this constraint and design appropriate breeding strategies to develop suitable varieties. Besides a number of biotic and abiotic factors also deter farmers to take up pigeon pea cultivation. The ability of red gram to produce high economic yields under soil moisture deficit makes it an important crop in rained and dry land agriculture. World’s major red gram-producing countries are India (37.50 lakh tones), Myanmar (6.76 lakh tones), Malawi (4.34 lakh tones), Tanzania (3.15 lakh tones), and Haiti (0.87 lakh tones)

MATERIALS AND METHODS

During on-farm trial, fields were selected in five different locations with an area of 0.1ha in each village i.e. MadhopurAnant, PavitraNager, Shahpur, Pardesiya, Tajpur of Sheohar block of Sheohar district of Bihar. Seeds of red gram Rajendra arhar have been supplied to the selected farmers of the above villages. Seeds were given for the September sowing of red gram. The experiments were designed for RBD with four treatments and five replications. Farmers’ practice was treated as a check. All the recommended packages and practices were followed for the cultivation of red gram with recommended RDF, Farmers were given Pheromone traps with Helicoverpa Armigera lure,  in treatment T2 installation of  Helicoverpa Armigera lure pheromone traps @ 10 traps/ ha, T3:Spraying of emamectin benzoate 5% SG @ 1.5 g / L water+ Cypermethrin 25 EC @ 1.5 ml / L  water at the time of flower initiation, T4: Spraying of profenophos 50% EC @ 2ml/L water after 25% of pod stage and spray after 15 days with indoxacarb 14.5% SC @ 0.3 ml/L water_: T5 Spraying of bio-pesticide(Bt @ 5g/ L  water with 0.5% jiggery. The experiments were carried out for two years i.e. .2019-2020 and 2020-2021 at the same selected farmer’s fields. The data were recorded from selected fields and processed for analysis of variance.

Gram pod borer: Helicoverpa armigera

Symptoms of damage

• Defoliation in the early stages
• Larva’s head alone thrust inside the pod and the rest of the body hanging out.
• Pods with round holes