Screening of Sunflower Varieties for Resistance Against Sucking Pests

摘要

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the important edible oilseed crops of India, cultivated in an area of 2.00 million hectares and a production of 0.99 million tonnes (CMIE, 2005). Average yield of Sunflower (496 kg/ha) in the country is the lowest in the world due to several biotic and abiotic production constraints (DOR, 2004). In India, sunflower is infested with more than 50 insect species, at different phenological stages. Apart from capitulum borers and defoliators, some sucking pests viz., whitefly (Bemesia tabaci Gennadius), leaf hopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida) and thrips (Thripspalmi Karny, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood) are potential pests causing around 46 per cent loss to sunflower crop (Basappa et al, 1999).