Current Science

Abraham Verghese ¹, Kesavan Subaharan ¹, Ankita Gupta ¹

Affiliations
1 ICAR National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (formerly ICAR-NBAII), Bangalore 560 024, IN

Abstract

No Abstract.

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Chandish R. Ballal ¹, Ankita Gupta ¹, M. Mohan ¹, Y. Lalitha ¹, Abraham Verghese ¹

Affiliations
1 ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bellary Road, Bengaluru 560 024, IN

Abstract

The South American tomato moth Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is a devastating pest of tomato. In the present study Tuta-adapted strains of Trichogramma were evaluated. Amongst the three species, Trichogramma achaeae Nagaraja and Nagarkatti, Trichogramma pretiosum Riley and Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja could parasitise T. absoluta eggs and the parasitism rates were 5.0%, 51.1% and 68.2% respectively. Adults emerged from the parasitized T. absoluta eggs (4.8%, 97.5% and 90.0% adult emergence respectively). The F1 generation adults of T. pretiosum could parasitise 29% of Corcyra cephalonica Stainton eggs, while the other two species were not successful in parasitizing. In addition, four 'hymenopteran' parasitoids, viz. T. achaeae, Neochrysocharis formosa (Westwood), Habrobracon sp. and Goniozus sp. were also observed to be associated with T. absoluta in the fields during the surveys undertaken in southern India.

Keywords

Invasive Pest, India, Natural Enemies, Tuta absoluta.

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Pawan Kumar Agrawal ¹, Baldev Raj ², Sindhu Radhakrishna ², Abraham Verghese ³, Kesavan Subaharan ³, Ankita Gupta ³, Abraham Verghese ⁴

Affiliations
1 National Agricultural Science Fund, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi 110 012, IN
2 National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru 560 012, IN
3 National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru 560 024, IN
4 GPS Institute of Agricultural Management, Bengaluru 560 058, IN

Abstract

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is on the rise globally, and is one of the significant environmental problems in India. In India, HWC manifests itself in several ways, such as wildlife poaching, retaliatory killing of/injury to wildlife species, crop raiding and livestock predation by wildlife species, injury to humans or human mortality, and destruction of property, houses and buildings by wildlife. Of these, wildlife conflict in agro pastoral contexts has been a subject of debate and great concern nationally, not only for its impact on the farmers, but also for the consequences regarding wildlife conflict. In India, HWC involves multiple stakeholders and multitudinous socio-cultural and environmental issues. Hence any study on this topic must encompass a multi-disciplinary effort that provides a holistic understanding of the history of wildlife, crop and livestock raiding, its nature and consequences and discuss various techniques that have been used or recommended to mitigate the effects of this crisis.

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M. Sampathkumar ¹, M. Mohan ¹, A. N. Shylesha ¹, Sunil Joshi ¹, T. Venkatesan ¹, Ankita Gupta ¹, S. Vennila ², S. R. Venkatachalam ³, M. Vijayakumar ⁴, Madhu Subramanian ⁵, M. Yoganayagi ⁶, T. R. Ashika ¹, N. Bakthavatsalam ¹

Affiliations
1 ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Hebbal, Bengaluru 560 024, IN
2 ICAR-National Centre for Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi 110 102, IN
3 Tapioca and Castor Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Yethapur 636 119, IN
4 Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sandhiyur 636 204, IN
5 Directorate of Research, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur 680 656, IN
6 State Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu, Senthamangalam 637 409, IN

Abstract

Increased globalization and trade have made India a target for entry of many new alien insect pests. One such unintentional recent introduction is the cassava mealybug (CMB), Phenacoccus manihoti on cassava. Monitoring on the occurrence and damage potential of CMB on cassava was undertaken during 2020. Among the places surveyed, maximum damage score (4–5) and density of the mealybug (>1000/shoot tip) were recorded in Salem and Namakkal districts of Tamil Nadu and Thrissur district of Kerala. In the absence of effective native natural enemies and other methods of control, CMB might pose a major crisis to the cassava industry in India. The prospects of its suppression by classical biological control are quite vibrant and the initiative to import the parasitoid wasp, Anagyrus lopezi from Thailand and the Republic of Benin is already being taken by ICAR-NBAIR, Bengaluru, India.

Keywords

Biological Control, Damage, Invasive, Monitoring, Phenacoccus manihoti.

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T. Venkatesan ¹, C. M. Kalleshwaraswamy ², Ankita Gupta ¹, T. R. Ashika ¹

Affiliations
1 ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Post Box No. 2491, H.A. Farm Post, Hebbal, Bengaluru 560 024, IN
2 Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga 577 204, IN

Abstract

Coptotermes is one of the most widespread subterranean termite genus of economic significance with few species considered as truly invasive. Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) is also known to be invasive and has taxonomic confusion on its correct identity. Originally described from Myanmar, it is considered to occur in North East India and Thailand. However, it is found to cause serious economic losses in some Asian countries, Brazil, the Caribbean islands and peninsular Florida, USA. In the present study, the insect specimens which were recovered from imported wooden packaging material of a consignment at Goa, India, received from Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA have been reported. The termite species received was identified as C. gestroi through morphological characters and DNA barcoding. The possible infliction caused if invasive populations of C. gestroi enters India, in particular southern India, is discussed.

Keywords

Coptotermes gestroi, Intrusion Pathway, Invasive Species, Morphological and Molecular Identification, Subterranean Termites.

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