Studies of loss estimation and relative susceptibility of genotypes of sorghum to earhead caterpillar(Heliothis armigeraHuebner)

Abstract

Studies of loss estimation and relative susceptibility of genotypes of sorghum to earhead caterpillar (Heliothis armigera Huebner) (Abstract. An estimation of the avoidable loss of sorghum grains due to damage caused by Heliothis armigera was carried out with applications of endosulfan 0.05% at the early milk stage on CSH-5 and CSH-9 hybrids. The larval population was considerably lower in the protected crops compared to the unprotected one. Further, the hybid CSH-5 has a lower level of larval infestation compared to CSH-9. A significantly higher grain yield was obtained in the protected plot than the unprotected one. Losses of 6.65 q/ha (14.51%) in CSH-9 and 5.18 q/ha (12.87%) in CSH-5 were recorded. The overall loss for the two crops was 5.92 q/ha (13.72%). In CSH-9 the cost-benefit ratio was 1:12.70 compared with 1:9.89in CSH-5, with the mean ratio being 1:11.30. The most commonly recommended insecticides, endosulfan spray and BHC dust, were applied at different earhead stages to determine for control of H. armigera, which combination provided the best level of control. The application of insecticides at the early milk stage was highly effective; recording a low number of larvae and a high grain yield. The next earhead stages, in order of merit, were the full flowering and dough stage. The endosulfan spray was more effective in reducing the larval population size and increasing the grain yield than use of the BHC dust. The cost-benefit ratio was 1:31.02 in endosulfan at the early milk stage, and 1:25.06 for the BHC dusting. Among the 36 genotypes, the entries SPV-772, PSYH-2, PM-11344, SPV-756, SPV-690, SPV-790 and MSH-62 of losse earhead type sorghums were found to be less susceptible to the pest compared with the remaining entries from semicompact and compact earhead types.

Trichogramma egg parasitism of Helicoverpa armigera on short‐duration pigeonpea intercultured with sorghum

“…In most of India Helicoverpa armigera (Hiabner) is the major pest of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) and damaging populations are also found on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) (Mote & Murthy, 1990). Insecticide application represents the conventional control practice for H. armigera on pigeonpea (Holt et al, 1990), however increasing insecticide resistance has led to a greater risk of control failure (Armes et al, 1992).…”

Biochemical characteristics of sorghum cultivars affect life table parameters, feeding performance, and digestive enzyme activities of Helicoverpa armigera

“…However, sorghum and other crops (including cotton, tomato, chickpea, maize, sunflower, groundnut, pigeon pea, canola, and soybean) are susceptible to infestation by Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the cotton bollworm, which adversely affects crop yield around the world (Fitt, 1989; Hemati et al., 2012a; Atashi et al., 2021; Jafari et al., 2023a). Helicoverpa armigera is recognized as one of the most destructive pests in sorghum, and its larvae have a particular preference for feeding on grains, especially during the milk‐to‐dough stages (Wilson, 1976; Young & Teetes, 1977; Teakle & Byrne, 1988; Mute & Murthy, 1990; Sigsgaard et al., 2022).…”

Influence of the chickpea cropping system onHelicoverpa armigera (Lep.: noctuidae) populations and their rate of parasitism byCampoletis chlorideae (Hym.: ichneumonidae)

“…In India it is the dominant pest of several legume crops including chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) (Reed et aL, 1987) and pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) (Bhamagar et aL, 1982) and can cause serious losses to sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) (Mote & Murthy, 1990) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) (Kishor, 1992). Its high pest status arises from the preference of foraging larvae for plant structures rich in nitrogen (Fitt, 1989) such as flowers, pods and panicles.…”