Insect pests of Chickpea / Bengal Gram

Major pests of Chickpea are:-

Identification of the pest

Symptoms of damage

Skeletinization of leaves – feeding chlorophyll only leaving veins by young larvae Defoliation
Feeds flower and green pods
In green pods – make circular holes and feed the grains and make empty.

Management

(Note: Insecticide / Ha NPV spray should be made when the larvae were up to third instar)

semilooper

Symptoms of damage

Skeletinization of leaves and the plant becomes whitish
The larvae feed on leaf buds, flowers, tender pods and developing seeds.
Ragged and irregular pod. (This is in contrast with the neat, and round hole, characteristic of pod borer damage.)

Identification of the pest

Management

ETL 10% affected parts
Deep summer ploughing in 2-3 years to eliminate quiescent pupa.
Early sowing, short duration varieties.
Avoid closer plant spacing.
Grow tall sorghum as comparison crop to serve as biological bird perches
Collect and destroy larvae and adults to the extent possible
Install pheromone traps at a distance of 50 m @ 5 traps/ha for each insect pest.
Install Bird perches @ 50/ha.
Setting of light traps (1 light trap/5 acre) to kill moth population.
Control is achieved by releasing of Trichogramma chlionis at weekly intervals @1.5 lakh/ha/ week for four times.
Conserve green lacewing, predatory stink bugs, spider, ants
Application of NPV 250 LE /ha with teepol 0.1% and Jaggery 0.5% thrice at 10 – 15 days interval commencing from the flowering stage. (Note: Insecticide / Ha NPV spray should be applied when the larvae are in early stage).
Bt @ 600 g, neem oil/ pungum oil 80 EC @ 2ml/lit
Spray NSKE 5% twice followed by triazophos 0.05%.
Apply any one of insecticides at 25 kg/ha. Chlorpyriphos 1.5 % DP, quinalphos 4D, carbaryl 5D
Spray insecticides like Carbaryl 10%DP.(OR) Quinalphos 25 EC @ 1000 ml/ha.

cut worm

Symptoms of damage

The caterpillar remains the soil at a depth of 2-4 inches.
The caterpillars cut the tender plants at the base, and branches or stems of growing plants.
The caterpillars drag the cut parts into the soil for feeding.
The buried stem or branches are almost the sure index of the place where the caterpillar is hiding.

Identification of the pest

Eggs – are laid on earth clods, chickpea stem bases and on both sides of leaves.
Larva – is dark brown with a red head.
Pupa -Pupation takes place in an earthen cocoon.
Adult- mothare brownish with numerous wavy lines and spots, measuring 3 to 5 cm across wings.

Management

Deep summer ploughing.
Use well decomposed organic manure.
Adapt crop rotation.
Early sowing in the last week of October.
Intercropping with wheat or Linseed or Mustard reduces infestation.
In the early stages pick the insects and destroy.
Do not grow Tomato or Lady Finger in nearby field.
Grow Marigold on bunds
The adult insects can be controlled by light traps
Spray insecticides like quinalphos 25 EC @ 1000 ml/ha
In the case of severe infestation Spray insecticides like spark 36 EC at the rate of 1000 ml/ha. Profenophos 50 EC @ 1500 ml/ha.
Dilute the above in 500 – 600 litres water and spray.

Symptoms of damage

Termite bores into the roots and stem. Due to the bore the plants soon dries.
Attack may continue to the standing crop also especially during the period of drought.

Identification of the pest

These are social insects, live in termitaria, in distinct castes, workers, kings and queen.
Eggs are laid on plants and in the soil.
‘Worker’ are small (4 mm) and have a soft, white body and a brown head.

Management

Frequent intercultural operations and irrigation before sowing.
Field sanitation, timely disposal of crop stables and undecomposed plant parts.
Undecomposed FYM or composed should not be used
Two-three deep ploughing could also help control this pest.
Destroy the termite bunds in and around the field and kill the queen and complimentary form.
Seed treatment with chlorpyriphos @ 4ml/kg of seed.

Source-