Relationship of certain abiotic factors and the incidence of gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (HUBNER) in chickpea at Pantnagar

Abstract

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses accounting for almost 33% of world area. The chickpea marked a significant increase in area (9.96 million ha) for the year 2013-14 which is highest in last 10 years. Similarly, the chickpea production (9.92 million tonnes) also surpassed record with in the history of India since last 50 years (Anonymous, 2014). Helicoverpa armigera is a conundrum and one of the most dominant insect pests in agriculture, accounting for half of the total insecticides usage in India for protection of crops. The problem of this pest is magnified due to its direct attack on fruiting structures, voracious feeding habits, high mobility and fecundity, multivoltine nature, overlapping generations, nocturnal behaviour etc., (Sarode, 1999). At the same time adequate ecological data is prerequisite for integrated pest management, which can therefore be enhanced after determining the seasonal abundance (Mathur et al., 2003). There are many environmental factors which influence the insect pest populations (Lode and Sharma, 1993). Among them abiotic factors play a vital role in multiplication and distribution of insect pests. The knowledge on the seasonal incidence of gram pod borer will certainly found to be helpful in formulating the insect pest management strategies for Helicoverpa armigera at Pantnagar condition. Therefore, an attempt has been made to work out the effect of different abiotic factors on the seasonal incidence of pod borer, H. armigera in chickpea..