CROP LOSSES BY BLISTER BEETLE (Mylabris pustulata Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) ON PIGEONPEA AND MUNGBEAN AND ITS MANAGEMENT
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Date
2012
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PAU Ludhiana
Abstract
Studies on seasonal incidence, crop losses, host preference and management of blister beetle
(Mylabris pustulata Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) on pigeonpea and mungbean were
carried out at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during Kharif 2010 -11. The crop
losses studies were carried out under net house conditions as well as under field conditions
while the management studies were made under field conditions. The experiments on seasonal
abundance revealed that blister beetle started appearing in the 4th week of August with peak
activity period during the 4th week of September in pigeonpea and mungbean under Punjab
conditions. The blister beetles were more active during morning and evening hours on both the
crops. The activity during noon hours was relatively low. Studies on crop losses under field
conditions showed that blister beetle caused up to 36.20 per cent damage to flowers and 53.22
per cent losses in yield at 1.96 beetles per plant in pigeonpea and 15.80 per cent damage to
flowers and 35.90 per cent losses in yield at 1.3 beetles per plant in mungbean crop. The
investigations on crop losses under net house conditions revealed that M. pustulata caused
maximum reduction up to 54.18 per cent in pod setting, 20.15 per cent in seed setting and 65.00
per cent in grain yield @ 2 beetles per plant in pigeonpea. However, in mungbean crop, M.
pustulata caused maximum reduction up to 67.14 per cent in pod setting, 26.65 per cent seed
setting and 75.29 per cent in grain yield @ 4 beetles per plant. Host preference studies carried
out under laboratory conditions revealed that M. pustulata showed highest preference towards
pigeonpea (87.22 per cent flowers eaten), followed by urdbean (43.52 per cent flowers eaten)
and mungbean (30.38 per cent flowers eaten). Amongst varieties, pigeonpea variety AL 201,
mungbean variety ML 818 and urdbean variety Mash 338 were more preferred than other
varieties of these pulse crops. The studies on management of M. pustulata showed that
deltamethrin 2.8 EC @ 500 ml ha-1 > cypermethrin 25 EC @ 250 ml ha-1 > chlorpyriphos 20
EC @ 3750 ml ha-1 were the most effective insecticides among all the treatments in both
pigeonpea and mungbean.
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