Pigeonpea, a new host of stem borer, Batocera rufomaculata

摘要

Anantapur is one of the drought districts of the Andhra Pradesh and agriculture conditions are more often precarious. Pigeonpea is grown as an intercrop with groundnut in red sandy soils due to the availability of low soil moisture. Mango, citrus andpomegranate are the major fruit crops in the district. In this region, pigeonpea crop is prone to the attack of pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera), and Webber (Maruca testutalis), as well as diseases like Sterility mosaic virus (SMD) and powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica) (Sharma et ai, 2011, Nagamani et al, 2012, Priyadarshini etal, 2013). The year, 2011 had erratic and less rainfall resulting in change in pest dynamics. Damage due to stem borer or longhorn beetle, Batocera rufomaculata, which is a common pest of fruit trees, was noticed on pigeonpea. Thus, the present study was focused to assess the incidence of stem borer on pigeonpea in and around Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.