pests of groundnut

Submitted By.:
VAKALIYA MUSTUFA
M.Sc.(Agri.)Ento.
BACA, AAU, Anand
Submitted To.:
Dr. C.C. PATEL
Research Scientist
BACA, AAU, Anand
PEST OF GROUNDNUT

Major pests
1. Aphids
2. Leaf hopper
3. Thrips
4. Red hairy caterpillar
5. Leaf miner
6. Tobacco caterpillar
7. Gram pod borer
8. Pod borer
9. White grub
10. Termites

Minor pests
1. Bud borer
2. Pod bug

INTRODUTION
Oilseeds occupy a prominent place among the principal
commercial crops grown in India. The important oilseeds
cultivated in India are Brassica sp, groundnut, sunflower,
safflower, castor, sesame and linseed. These crops are
damaged by number of pests, of which mustard aphid,
mustard sawfly and the painted bug are the most serious. The
aphid is the most serious pest on brassica oilseeds throughout
India.

On groundnut crop, the white grub has recently
assumed serious proportions in Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. The leaf
miner and the red hairy caterpillar are the serious in
central and southern India. The groundnut aphid is a
menace throughout the groundnut growing areas. Its
incidence during different years varies with rainfall.
Intermittent rains have a depressing effect on the aphid
population.

1. Aphids
Aphis craccivora
(Aphididae: Hemiptera)
 Distribution and status:
India, Africa, Argentina, Chile,
U.S.A. Europe and Australia.
 Host Plants:
Groundnut, beans, safflower, lablab, Niger, peas,
pulses and some weeds.

Marks of Identification
 They are small-sized insects (2 mm long), pear shaped,
green, greenish brown or greenish black in colour.
 The nymphs are dark brown and turns to shiny dark adults
 Adults are mostly wingless but few winged forms also
seen.
 It has 12-14 generations per year. 50-100 aphids/plant

Life Cycle
 The pest breeds parthenogenetically and They grow very
fast and are full-fed in 7-10 days.
 A Female Aphid Lives for 9 to 25 Days And Can Produce
From 25 to 125 Young during its life.
 There may be up to 20 generations in the years. By
november winged forms have devloped and eggs are laid
before winter sets in.

Damage symptoms
 Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the leaflets
and tender shoots mostly up to two months after
germination.
 It results in wilting of tender shoots during hot
weather. Leaves mottled with chlorotic or dark green
spots and plant growth becomes stunted.
 Sometimes honey dew deposited on the leaves and
shoots could be seen which attract the ants.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Timely sowing of the crop.
 Varieties which are densely hairy and with stiff leaves
interfere Pest population.
Mechanical Control
 Hand picking and destruction of various insect stages and
the affected plant parts.

Biological Control
 Apply NSKE 5% (neem seed kernel extract) to control sucking
pests.
 Augment the release of Cheilonenes sexmaculata @ 1250/ha.
 Conserve bio agents like flower bugs (anthocorids), lady bird
beetles (coccinellids), praying mantis, hover flies (syrphids),
green lace wing (chrysopids), long horned grass hoppers and
spiders.
Chemical Control
 Apply safe chemical insecticides at recommended doses only if
the insect population crosses the ETL.
 Young crop may be applied with monocrotophos 36SL 10 ml in
10 lit. of water or Dimethoate 30 EC @ 10 ml in 10 lit. of
water.
.

2. Leaf hopper
Empoasca kerri
(Cicadellidae: Hemiptera)
Host Plants
Brinjal, Sesamum, Cotton, Castor,
Pulses,Vegetables etc.

Identification And Life History
 Elongate, active wedge shaped green insects found on the
under surface of leaves.
 The eggs are inserted in to the leaf tissue close to the
midrib or into the petiole.
 The egg hatch in a week and nymphs into adult in 10 days.
 The infestation is high during August and September and
February and March.

Damage symptoms
 Both adults and nymphs suck sap
 from young leaves mostly from the lower surface.
 The first symptom of attack is a whitening of the veins.
Chlorotic (yellow) patches then appear, especially at the tips of
leaflets, probably caused by a reaction between the jassids
salivary secretion and plant sap
Under severe infestation, the leaf tips become necrotic in a
typical V shape giving the crop a scorched appearance known
as 'hopper burn‘.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Timely sowing of the crop and field sanitation.
 Grow tolerant varieties And Crop rotation with non-host
crop.
 Intercropping with pearl millet, Avoid groundnut-castor
inter crop, it increases the infestation.
 Irrigate once to avoid prolonged mid-season drought to
prevent pre-harvest.
Mechanical Control
 Collect and destroy the affected parts of the plant

Biological Control
 Conserve bio agents like praying mantis, long horned
grass hoppers, dragon flies ,spiders, green muscardine
fungus.
Chemical Control
 Apply safe chemical insecticides at recommended doses
only if the insect population crosses the ETL.
 Spray dimethoate 30EC @ 10 ml in 10 lit. of water or
monocrotophos 36SL @ 10 ml in 10 liter water.
 Imidachloprid 17.8 SL 3 ml in 10 lit. of water

3. Thrips
Scirtothrips dorsalis
(Thripidae: Thysanoptera)
Host Plants
 Chilli, cotton,Castor,Pulses,citrus,onion,garlic,
 Pineapple etc.

 Nymphs and adults dark colored with fringed wings.
Female thrips lay 40-50 eggs inside the tissues of leaves
and shoot. Egg period 5 days, nymphal period 7-10 days
and adult period is 25-30 days. There are several
overlapping generations.

Damage symptoms
 Nymphs and adults suck sap
from the surface of the leaflets.
 This results in white patches on
the upper and necrotic patches
on the lower surface of the leaves.
 It consists of distortions of the young leaflets and patchy
areas of necrotic tissue that puncture and split as the
leaflets grow.
 Injury is normally seen in seedlings.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Grow tolerant varieties
 Sanitation
Mechanical Control
 Uproot and destroy severely infected plants.

Biological Control
 Conserve bio agents like flower bugs (anthocorids), lady
bird beetles (coccinellids), praying mantis, green lace
wing (chrysopids), long horned grass hoppers, dragon flies
and spiders.
Chemical Control
 Spray Monocrotophos 36SL 10 ml in 10 lit. of water or
Dimethoate 30 EC 10 ml in 10 lit. of water or Methyl
demeton 25 EC 15 ml in 10 lit. of water.
 Spray per acre monocrotophos 320 ml mixed with neem
oil 1lit and 1kg soap powder mixed in 200lit of water
twice at 10days interval.

4.Red hairy caterpillar
Amsacta albistriga
(Arctiidae: Lepidoptera)
Distribution and status
Oriental in distribution including India. It is a serious
pest under rainfed conditions on pulses in Rajasthan and
groundnut in southern part of India. Amsacata albistriga is
predominant in South India while A. moorie dominates
northern parts of the country.
Host range
 Maize, sorghum, green gram, sesame, pearl millet, finger
millet, groundnut, sun hemp, castor, cotton.

 Adults are medium sized moths. In A. albistriga forewings
are white with brownish streaks all over and yellowish
streaks along the anterior margin and hind wings white
with black markings. A yellow band is found on the head.
 In A. markings are red in white wings. On receipt of
heavy rains, about a month after sowing in kharif season,
white moths with black markings on the hind wings
emerge out from the soil in the evening hours.

 It lays about 600-700 eggs on the under surface of the
leaves. Egg period is 2-3 days. Tiny greenish caterpillar
feeds on the leaves gregariously.
 A full grown larva measures 5 cm in length, reddish
brown hairs all over the body arising on warts. The larval
period is 40-50 days. With the receipt of showers, the
grown up larva pupates in earthen cells at a depth of 10-20
cm.
 They pupate mostly along the field bunds and in moist
shady areas under the trees in the field and undergo pupal
diapause till the next year.

Damage symptoms
 The larvae feed on the leaves gregariously by scraping the
under surface of tender leaflets leaving the upper
epidermal layer intact in early stages.
 Later they feed voraciously on the
leaves and main stem of plants.
 They march from field to field gregariously.
 Severely affected field looks as though they are grazed by
cattle. Sometimes it results in the total loss of pods.
 They also feed on sorghum, cotton, finger millet, castor,
pulses and cowpea, etc.

IPM SRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Deep summer ploughing
 After the kharif crop, the field should be ploughed to
expose the pupae to predatory birds.
 Early sowing is done to escape insect pest damage.
 Inter crop one row of castor for every 5 or 6 rows of
groundnut.
 Crop rotation with sorghum/pearl millet or maize should
be followed.
 Irrigate once to avoid prolonged mid-season drought to
prevent pre-harvest infestation.

Mechanical Control
 Install of 1 or 2 light traps/ha or bonfire in endemic areas.
 Erection of light traps soon after the monsoon for 20-45
days and collecting and killing of adult moths are found
very effective.
 Collection and destruction of egg masses in the fields
around light trap areas.
 Install 10-12 bird perches/ha.

Biological Control
 Spray A-NPV (2X 10^5 PIB/I) and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
 Release of Bracon hebetor @ 5000/ha. Two times at 7-10 days
interval.
 Conserve dominant predators like Coccinella sp.
and Menochilus sexmaculata and parasitoids like Chelonus
spp.
 Conserve the bio control population of spiders, long horned
grasshoppers, praying mantis, robar fly, ants, green lace wing,
damsel flies/dragon flies, flower bugs, shield bugs, lady bird
beetles, ground beetle, predatory cricket, earwig, braconids,
trichogrammatids, NPV, green muscular fungus.
 Use 5% neem seed kernel extract on need basis.
 Inter cropping with pigeon pea, mung bean and soybean
provides increase in population of spiders.
 Population of coccinellids is higher on groundnut with maize,
mung bean and soybean and Chrysoperla spp. is higher with
maize and soybean intercrops.

Chemical Control
 Dusting of Methyl parathion 2% @ 25 to 30 kg/ha or
Fanvalerate 0.4% @15-20 Kg/ha.
 Spray Quinalphos 25 EC @ 15 ml in 10 lit. of water or
Nuvan (76%) 4 l/ha to control full grown insect pests.
 Organize mass ground spraying in endemic areas if
necessary in the case of outbreak of the pest.
 For grown up caterpillars - spray profenophos 10-12 ml
in 10 lit. of water (or) dichlorvos 7-10 ml in 10 lit. of
water (or) chlorpyriphos 20 ml in 10 liters of water.

5. Leaf miner
Aproaeroma modicella
(Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera)
 India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma and South Africa.
Host range
 Groundnut, soybean and red gram.

 Adult is dark brown with a white spot on the coastal margin of
each forewing. The small hind wings are covered by fringe of
minute hair.
 Adults are found briskly whirling around the plants in field and
lay shiny transparent eggs singly on the under surface of
leaflets.
 A female moth lays 150-200 eggs that hatch in 2-3 days. The
larvae are pale brown. Fully grown larva measures 6-8 mm The
larval period is 4-17 days.

 They pupate in white silken cocoons within webbed
leaflets and the pupae are reddish brown. The pupal period
is 5-7 days.
 Adult longevity is 5-6 days. Life cycle is completed in
20-25 days. They cause severe damage from September to
November to the rainfed crop and during March & April
to irrigated crop.

Damage symptoms
 It prefers rainfed crop and bunch varieties. Young newly
hatched green caterpillar mines into the leaflets and feed
on green tissues resulting in brownish dried up patches.
 Later instars caterpillars fold the
leaves together and feed on the
green tissues by remaining
inside.
 Severely infested crop presents a burnt up appearance.
Caterpillars (or) pupae can be seen inside the mines and
folded leaflets.
 It also attacks red gram and soybean.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 planting of cowpea or soybean as trap crop.
 Crop rotation with non-leguminous crop is advised in case
of severe recurring problem.
 Crop rotation of groundnut with soybean and other
leguminous crops should be avoided.
 Use resistant/tolerant varieties.
Mechanical Control
 Collect and destroy egg masses and early instars larvae.
 Install pheromone trap @ 5/ha for mass trapping.

Biological Control
 Release Trichogramma Chilonis @ 50000/ha twice (7-10 days
interval)
 Conserve the natural bio control population of spiders, long
horned grasshoppers, praying mantis, robar fly, ants, green lace
wing, damsel flies/dragon flies, flower bugs, shield bugs, lady
bird beetles, ground beetle, predatory cricket, earwig,
braconids, trichogrammatids, NPV, green muscular fungus.
 Mulching with rice straw causes reduction in leaf miner
incidence and increase in percentage parasitism.
 Intercropping groundnut with Pennisetum glaucum enhanced
the parasitoid Goniozus spp. on leaf miner.
 Spray neem based formulation @ 5%.

Chemical Control
 Effective control could be achieved if insecticide is
applied at 45 and 70 days after planting.
 Carbaryl 50WP 0.2 per cent spray was found to be most
economical for controlling this pest; or Spray Quinalphos
25 EC 2ml or Methyl-o-demeton 25 EC 1.6ml or
Dimethoate 30 EC 2ml /lit of water.

6.Tobacco caterpillar
Spodoptera litura
(Noctuidae: Lepidoptera)
 India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Bangladesh, Pacific Islands,
China,Pakistan,Korea and Japan.
Host range
 Groundnut, citrus, soybean, cotton, tobacco, castor, pulses,
millets, safflower, banana, cabbage, tomato, sweet, potato,
bhendi, chilies, etc.

 Adult moth is stout with wavy white markings on the brown
forewings and white hind wings with a brown patch along its
margin.
 Eggs are laid in groups and covered with hairs on the leaves.
The egg period is 4-5 days.
 Larva is stout, cylindrical, pale brownish with dark markings.
The body may have row of dark spots or transverse and
longitudinal grey and yellow bands. When fully grown,
measures about 35-40 mm in length.
 The larval period is 14-21 days.
 It pupates in earthen cells in soil for 15 days. Life cycle is
completed 30-40 days.
 ETL: 1-2 egg masses per meter crop row of 7-12 plants or
pheromone trap catches exceed 100 moths per night, averaged
over a week.

Damage symptoms
 Neonate, green caterpillars feed on the leaves voraciously
and present an appearance to the field as if grazed by
cattle. Since this pest is nocturnal in habit larvae hide
under the plants, cracks and crevices of soil and debris
during the day time. Faecal pellets are seen on the leaves
and on the ground which is the indicator of the pest
incidence.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Deep summer ploughing.
 Early sowing to escape insect pest damage.
 Irrigate once to avoid prolonged mid-season drought
 Planting castor or sunflower plants as trap crop for egg laying
and destroying eggs or 1st stage larvae help in reducing the
incidence.
 The sunflower act as bird perches as well.
Mechanical Control
 Install light trap.
 Two hand or mechanical weeding at 15-20 days after sowing.
 Use pheromone traps (5/ha) to monitor moth population.
 Install 10-12 bird perches per ha.
 Collection of egg masses/early instars larvae from trap crops.

Biological Control
 Conserve the natural bio control population of spiders, long horned
grasshoppers, praying mantis, robar fly, ants, greenlace wing, damsel
flies/dragon flies, flower bugs, shield bugs, lady bird beetles, ground
beetle, predatory cricket, earwig, braconids, trichogrammatids, NPV,
green muscular fungus.
 Release of Telenomus remus @ 50000/ha. 4 times (7-10 days
interval) based on pheromone trap catching.
 Use SNPV @ 250 LE (6X 10^9/LE)/ha or B.t. @1 kg/ha, when large
number of egg masses and early instars larvae are noticed.
 Release Trichogramma chilonis @ 50000/ha. 2 times (7-10 days
interval) based on pheromone trap observation.
 Release of Bracon hebetor @ 5000/ha. Two times at 7-10 days
interval.
 Spray insect pathogenic fungus Nomuraea rileyi @10^13 spores/ha
for controlling early instars.
 Release larval parasitoid Apanteles africanus @ 5000/ha.
 Use 5% neem seed kernel extract on need basis.

Chemical Control
 Apply insecticides only if the insect population crosses the
ETL.
 Apply Methyl parathion 2% dust @ 20 kg/ha or spraying
of monocrotophos 36 SL or Quinalphos 25 EC @ 15 ml or
Profenophos 50 EC @12-15 ml or Trizophos40EC@15ml
in10 lit of water.
 Poison bait with monocrotophos 36 SL or Carbaryl, rice
bran, jiggery and water can be used to control the grown
up larvae.

7.Gram pod borer
Helicoverpa armigera
(Noctuidae: Lepidoptera)
Distribution and status: World wide
Host range
Cotton, sorghum, lablab, soybean, pea, safflower, chilies,
groundnut, tobacco, okra, maize, tomato.

 Adult is brown colored moth with ‘V’ shaped speck on
forewings and dull black border on the hind wing.
 Eggs are laid singly on host plant. The egg period is 5-7
days. Larva is greenish with dark brown to grey lines.
Color varies with kind of host plant.
 The larval period is 14-20 days. It pupates in soil and
pupal stage lasts for 10 days. Cannibalism is common
among larvae.

Damage symptoms
 Small or large irregular feeding holes on the leaves.
Presence of pale green or rose or brown or chocolate
colored caterpillars with dorsal and lateral Stripes and
hairs on the body.
• Caterpillars also damage the fruiting bodies by entering
into them.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Deep summer ploughing
 Intercrop one row of red gram for every 5 or 6 rows
Mechanical Control
 Install light trap.
 Use pheromone traps (5/ha) to monitor moth population.
 Install 10-12 bird perches per ha.
 Collection of egg masses/early instars larvae from trap
crops.

Biological Control
 Use Trichogramma chilonis @ 1 lakh/ha or Chrysoperla
carnea @ 50000/ha at 40 and 50 days after sowing of
groundnut can effectively check the pest.
 Apply H-NPV @ 250 LE/ha or B.t (Bacillus
thuringiensis) 1 kg/ha or 5% NSKE for monitoring eggs
and early instars larvae.
 Conserve the natural bio control population of spiders,
long horned grasshoppers, praying mantis, robar fly, ants,
green lace wing, damsel flies/dragon flies, flower bugs,
shield bugs, lady bird beetles, ground beetle, predatory
cricket, earwig, braconids, trichogrammatids, NPV, green
muscular fungus.

Chemical Control
 Quinalphos 2ml or Chlorpyriphos 3 ml /lit of water
 Rynoxypyr 20EC 3 ml in 10 lit. of water

8.Pod borer (Ear wig)
Anisolabis stalli
(Forficulidae: Dermaptera)
Damage symptoms
 Young pods showing bore holes plugged with excreta,
sand particles or discolored pulp. Bored pods are devoid
of kernels.

 Adult is dark brown to black with forceps like caudal cerci
and white leg joints. It lays eggs in clusters of 20-100 in
soil and sometimes inside damaged pods and hatch in
about a week.
 The five nymphal instars resemble the adults which can
live as long as 250 days. Their unique forked abdominal
tip can easily be recognized as letter ‘Y”.

Management
 Apply Malathion 5D or Quinalphos 4D or Carbaryl 10 D
at 25 kg/ha prior to sowing in areas where the ear wig is
endemic.
 Repeat the soil application of any one of the above dust
formulation on 40th day of sowing and incorporate in the
soil during earthling up.

9.White grub:
Holotrichia consanguinea
(Melalonthidae: Coleoptera)
Distribution:
Throught The World
Host Plants
cotton ,bajra ,sorghum,
potato,pulses,etc.

 The dark brown adult beetles renter the soil to hide and
lay eggs.
 Female lays 20 - 80 white, roundish eggs in clusters. Egg
period 9 - 11 days.
 Grubs are white and translucent. Pupates in soil and
remain as pupae until the following year. The adult beetles
emerge with the first monsoon showers.

Damage symptoms
 Growth of plant is retarded, Plants wilt or die.
 Roots partially or fully eaten off by white and fleshy
grubs.
 The grubs feed on plants roots causing yellowing ,some
plants wilt or die ,such plants can easily pulled out.
 In case of attack by adult beetles ,the affected plants are
defoliated.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Deep ploughing in summer.
 Always use well decomposed organic manure it
attracts the adult beetles.
 Partial or complete lopping of host plants and
retaining of a few most preferred host trees in the area
for congregation of white grub adults.
 Crop rotation with sorghum/pearl millet or maize.
 Early sowing to avoid damage due to insect pest.
 Collection and destruction of white grub adults from
host trees around the field.

Biological Control
 Conserve braconids, dragon flies, trichogrammatids, NPV,
green muscardine fungus.
Chemical Control
 Apply safe chemical insecticides at recommended doses only if
the insect population crosses the ETL.
 Spray should be undertaken as a community approach and
should be repeated after every rainfall till the middle of July.
 Spraying the trees close to the field with Chlorpyriphos 20 EC
@ 2 ml/lit of water soon after first monsoon showers for 3-4
days in the late evening hours kills the adult beetles and
reduces root grub infestation.
 Seed treatment with chlorpyriphos 20 EC (6.5 to 12.5 ml/kg
seed) is found effective.
 In case of severe infestation apply 10% phorate @ 10 kg/ha.

10. Termites
Odontotermes sp.
(Termitidae: Isoptera)
Host Plants
 Polyphagous pest
Distribution:
Tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world
Marks of identification:
 These are social insects, live in termataria, in distinct
castes, workers, solder, king and queen.
 Workers' are small (4 mm) and have a soft, white body and
a brown head.

Life History:
 The queen produces thousands of eggs over the lifetime.
 After mating, the new queen starts laying eggs in about a
week.
 Eggs are laid in a crevice by digging a hole in the soil or by
excavating a tunnel in wood.
 Once the nuptial chamber is constructed the king and
queen will mate.
 Initially, the queen lays only a few eggs which are looked
after by her and the king.
 The eggs are normally laid singly.
 Incubation takes from 24 to 90 days.
 There are normally seven nymphal instars (stages) in
established colonies but the number varies depending on
temperature, age of colony, size of colony and relative
humidity. The nymphs may grow into soldiers or workers.

Nature of damage:
 The termite is endemic in red and sandy soils.
 All termites eat cellulose (e.g. from dead plant fibre) and
many termites cultivate a fungus within the nest, which is
a source of food (especially proteins) for the queen, king
and the young.
 Wilting of plants in patches
 Termites penetrate and hollow out the tap root and stem
thus kill the plant.
 Bore holes into pods and damage the seed.
 It removes the soft corky tissue between the veins of pods
causing scarification, weaken the shells, make them liable
to entry and growth of Aspergillus flavus that produces
aflatoxins.

IPM STRATEGIES
Cultural Control
 Digging the termitaria and destruction of the queen is
most important in termite management.
 Use well rotten organic manure.
 Harvest the groundnuts as soon as they are matured, early
removal of the produce from the field will reduce the
chances of termite damage to pods.
 Clean cultivation
 Irrigate the crop frequently
 Thorough ploughing and frequent interculturing.

Mechanical Control
 Avoid physical loss of the crop during harvesting.
 Destruction of debris, termite nests and queen
Chemical Control
 Apply chlorpyriphos 20 EC or Lindane 1.3% to control
termites.
 Or apply dust of chlorpyriphos @ 30-40 kg/ha in soil
before sowing.
 Seed dressing with insecticides such as 6.5ml of
chlorpyriphos /kg of seed may reduce termite damage.

11. Bud borer
Anarsia ephippias
(Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera)
 The adult moth is buff colored, active and hovers around
plant canopy during sun rise.
 The larva is chocolate brown to dark brown and 10-15 mm
long.

Damage symptoms
 The larva bores into the terminal buds and shoots.
The tender leaflets emerging from central spindle
shows shot-hole symptoms initially.
 In severe infestation emerging leaflets have only
the midribs or several oblong feeding holes.
 The larva also bores into the apex of the stem.
 The infestation causes 20-35% shoot damages and
yield reduction up to the 5%.

Management
 Conserve the hymenopteran parasitoids Bracon sp., and
Brachymeria sp. in the groundnut ecosystem to control the
pest.
 Spray neem oil 3% or leaf extract 5%
 Spray Profenophos 50 EC@ 15 ml or indoxacarb 12-15
ml or spinosad 45 SC@3 ml per 10 lit. of water.

12. Pod bug
Elasmolomus sordidus
(Lygaeidae: Hemiptera)
 The adult is dark brown, approximately 10 mm long and 2 mm
wide. In the field, the females lay their eggs singly in the soil or
on groundnut haulms.
 But in storage eggs are laid loosely among the groundnuts. A
female bug may lay up to 105 eggs. The egg period is 4-5 days.
 The first instar nymphs have a bright red abdomen, later instar
become progressively darker.
 Both nymphs and adults feed on kernels by piercing the pods
with their rostrum.
 The nymphal period is 23-29 days. Since it is nocturnal in
habit, it hides under weeds, cracks and crevices in soil and
debris during day time.

Damage symptoms
 It is a serious pest at pod maturity stage, pod harvesting
stage and harvested produce in the threshing floor.
 Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the pod in the
field and produce at threshing floor.
 Freshly harvested pods have shriveled kernels.

Management
 Set up light traps to attract and kill the bugs.
 Keep the crop refuse in the field along irrigation channel
to attract the bugs which can be killed by dusting.
 Dust the groundnut stored in the gunny bugs with
Malathion 4D.

pests of groundnut

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