Centurion

UNIVERSITY

INSECT PESTS OF GROUND NUT

AND THEIR MANAGEMENT

Centurion University ofTechnology and Management

Shaping Lives...Empowering Communities...
 WHITE GRUB OR ROOT GRUB
Holotrichia consanguinea, H. serrata
Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera
DISTRIBUTION
• Root grub is a polyphagous pest, feeding on the roots of a
wide range of plants like pulses, groundnut, sugarcane,
vegetables etc. and it is a serious pest on groundnut in Kurnool
and Anantapur districts.
APPEARANCE
• Full grown grubs are creamy white with a brown head and
reach 2” in length.
• They are curled up in position.
LIFEHISTORY
• Adults emerge out of soil during first monsoon showers at
dusk, mate and feed on the leaves of the trees and early in the
morning get back and burrow into the soil and lay the eggs @
single egg per cell during April – July in the soil at a depth of
12-15 cm.
• Pupation takes place in an earthen cocoon in soil
• Pupal period is 7-10 days.
• Only one generation in a year.
• Total life history from egg to adult is 171 days
• Beetles are active during May-July months and disappear by
first week of August.
NATURE OF DAMAGE
• Upon hatching grubs feed on nodules, fine root lets and also
girdle the main root ultimately killing the plants.
• They become full grown by September end and move deeper
down into the soil.

SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
• In case of severe infestation the patches of dead plants are
seen in the infested fields.
• The cut end of the attacked stem of a dead groundnut plant is
swollen.
MANAGEMENT
• Deep ploughing after summer showers would expose the
pupae and beetles to hot sun or birds predations.
• Mass collection and destruction of beetles from the branches
of neem, subabul, Acacia, ber trees immediately after
receiving summer showers.
• Spraying surrounding trees with carbaryl 3 g/l at first monsoon
showers ·
• Flooding the field for 24 hours kills grub population.
• Utilisation of fungal pathogens like Metarhizium anisopliae,
Beauveria brongniartii
• Seed treatment with chlorpyriphos 6 - 10 ml/kg seed is
effective against root grubs. ·
• Application of phorate 10 G 15 kg/ha at sowing time.
 GROUNDNUT LEAF MINER
Aproaerema modicella
Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera
MARKS OF IDENTIFICATION
• Moth is very small with dark brown wings and small distinct
white spot on forewings.
• Full grown caterpillar is greenish with a small dark head.
LIFE HISTORY
• Shiny and sculptured eggs are laid singly on tender leaves.
• Incubation period is 3 days.
• Pupation is inside the blotch mine and emerges as an adult in
about 4 days.
NATURE OF DAMAGE
The newly hatched caterpillar mines into tender leaflets or it
webs together adjacent leaflets and feeds on the tissue.

• The leaflets get distorted and due to feeding get dried up in

due course of time.
SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
• Mining of larvae in the upper epidermis of leaves which
causes in characteristic blotches
• Folded leaves.
• Drying of affected leaves and withering of plants.
• Severely infested field looks as if burnt from a distance.
MANAGEMENT
• Collection and destruction of the larvae and infested plant
parts
• Crop rotation with a non leguminous crop to avoid out breaks
of the pest.
• Raising soybean as trap crop.
• Setting of light traps / pheromone traps
• Foliar sprays with acephate 1 g/l or chlorpyriphos 2.5 ml/l or
monocrotophos 1.6 ml/l
• Dusting or spraying with quinalphos 1.5 D @ 10 – 12 kg /ac or
2 ml /l
• Regular monitoring and surveillance
 RED HAIRY CATERPILLAR
Amsacta albistriga, Amsacta moorei
Arctiidae: Lepidoptera
DISRIBUTION
• Among the whole group of hairy caterpillars, red hairy
caterpillars are most injurious to agriculture throughout India.
Although the red hairy caterpillars are found in southern and
northern regions of the country, they are said to belong to two
species of the genus Amsacta.
• This is a serious and devastating pest of rainfed kharif crop. It
is an endemic pest. Its seasonal outbreak in various tracts is
largely dependent on climatic conditions.
MARKS OF IDENTIFICATION

A. albistriga:
• The adult is a medium sized moth. The forewings are white
with brownish streak all over and yellow streak along the
anterior margin and the hindwings are with black markings. A
yellowish band is seen on the head.
A moorei
• The anterior marginal streak of forewings and the band on the
head are red in colour.
• Full grown caterpillars of both these species are reddish brown
with black bands on either end and have long reddish brown
hairs all over the body arising on warts. The head and
prothorax are red.
LIFE HISTORY
• The creamy or light yellowish eggs are laid in groups mostly
on the under surface of leaves, on clods, stones, dry twigs etc
• Single female lays 300-1000 eggs. Incubation period is 3-4
days
• The grown up larva burrows into the moist soil and pupates in
earthen cell at a depth of 10-20 cm.
• The insect undergoes pupal diapause in the soil till next year.
There is only one generation per year.
NATURE OF DAMAGE
• The caterpillars in early stages are found in groups on the
underside of leaf lets and feed on them. Later they disperse to
surrounding plants
• As they grow they feed voraciously on leaves leaving behind
the petiole and mid ribs of leaves and the main stem of plants.
They may be seen marching from one field to another in
thousands. Often it results in total loss of crop.
MANAGEMENT
• Deep summer ploughing after harvest to expose diapausing
pupae
• Collection and destruction of egg masses and gregarious
larvae.
• Setting bonfires or light traps to attract the moths within 24 h
after receipt of monsoon showers.
• Placing shoots of Jatropha or Ipomoea on bunds to attract
migrating larvae and spraying on shoots
• Growing cowpea and castor as trap crops.
• Trenching around the field and dusting with carbaryl or
methyl parathion dust @ 250 g /one meter length.
• Spraying with dimethoate 2ml/l, monocrotophos 1.6 ml/l
• Poison baiting for late instars with rice bran 10 kg + jiggery 1
kg +quinalphos 1 litre or methomyl 350 ml + water.

• Natural enemies include a predatory pentatomid bug attacking

larvae and larval parasites, Apanteles flavipes, A. creatonoti
(Braconidae), Exorista civiloides, Sturnia inconspicuella
(Tachinidae)
 LEAF EATING CATERPILLARS
Spodoptera litura, Helicoverpa armigera
Noctuidae: Lepidoptera

• These caterpillars feed on foliage causing extensive

defoliation.

Note: Life histories, nature of damage and their management are

detailed under cotton pests.
 LEAFHOPPER
Empoasca kerri
Cicadellidae: Hemiptera

• This species, besides groundnut, also attacks brinjal, chillies,

cowpea, tomato,castor etc.
• Both nymphs and adults suck sap from central surface of
leaves, also inject toxin causing whitening of veins and
chlorotic patches at tips of leaflets in a typical ‘V’ – shape.
There will be hopperburn in severe cases.
• In presence coccinellids @ 2 or more / plant insecticidal sprays
can be limited. Insecticides found effective are dimethoate 2
ml/l or methyl demeton 2 ml/l or monocrotophos 1.6 ml/l.
 THRIPS
Caliothrips indicus, Scirtothrips dorsalis
Thripidae: Thysanoptera

• Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the leaf surface.
Infested leaves show pale white patches and curling of tender
leaflets. It transmits peanut bud necrosis virus disease.

• Foliar spray with dimethoate 2 ml/l or imidacloprid 0.50ml/l or

thiamethoxam @ 0.4g/l or fipronil @ 2ml/l are effective
measures.
 GROUNDNUT APHID
Aphis craccivora
Aphididae: Hemiptera

• It is a polyphagous pest. The tender shoots of 2 to 2 ½ months

old crop of groundnut are sometimes severely infested by this
aphid.
• Both nymphs and adults suck sap from tender leaves and
shoots of plant causing the leaves to curl and stunted growth.
Flowers and pods are also affected.
• Excrete honeydew on which sooty mould develops which
interferes with photosynthetic activity of plants.
• The groundnut aphid also transmits groundnut rosette virus
and sometimes groundnut stunt virus diseases.
• Spraying with tobacco decoction (1 kg tobacco boiled in 10 lit
of water of ½ hour and make up to 30 lit + 100 g soap) and
systemic insecticides like monocrotophos 1.6 ml/l or
dimethoate 2 ml/l or or methyl demeton 2 ml/l are effective.
 GROUNDNUT POD BUG
Elasmolomus sordidus
Lygaeidae: Hemiptera

• Nymphs and adult are dark brown bugs. They

suck sap from developing seeds of groundnut
pods in the field. As a result, the seeds get
shrivelled and become rancid and give bitter taste.

• The oil content and germination percentage of

infested seed is also adversely affected. Besides
causing damage in the field, it continues to infest
the pods in threshing yard and even in storage

• Collection of bugs which on rubbish heaps in

threshing floors and their destruction, application
of carbaryl 10 D @ 10 – 12 kg/ac or foliar spray
with malathion 2 ml/l are effective
 JEWEL BETLE
Sphenoptera perotetti
Buprestidae: Coleoptera

• It is important during rainy and

post rainy season. Elongated
dorso ventrally flattened grub
with a globular head burrows into
the stem close to soil surface
causing drying and death of
plants. When examined grub or
pupa can be seen in hollowed
stem.

• Application of carbofuran
granules in planting row is
effective.
Thank u……