eChapters

The litchi or ‘lychee’ (Litchi chinensis Sonnen) is an evergreen subtropical fruit tree of the family Sapindaceae. It is known for its delicious fragrance, quality and juicy fruits contributing significantly to the nation’s economy. India is the second largest producer of litchi in the world after China with an area and production of 82,000 ha and 555,000 tonnes, respectively during 2012-13 (DAC, 2013).So far as Eastern India is concerned, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal accounts for 85% of the total litchi production in the country. The state Bihar alone contributes 45% of total litchi production and occupies nearly 40% of the area in India. In India litchi is being grown in an area of 89000 ha with a total production of 556 000 MT annually (http://nhb.gov.in).

Mango (Mangifera indica Linn.) (Family-Anacardiaceae) is one of the most popular tropical and sub-tropical fruit crops in India and is well known as the “King of Fruits”. Mango is the national fruit of India and Pakistan as well as national tree of Bangladesh. It is cultivated worldwide in 49.46 lakh hectares with a production of 371.20 lakh tonnes. In India, the crop is cultivated in the largest area of 23.12 lakh hectares among all the countries in the world and production is around 150.30 lakh tonnes, contributing 40.48% of the total world production. India exports 59.22 thousand tonnes of mangoes to 40 different countries worldwide, valuing Rs. 162.92 crores (Anonymous, 2019).

5.1. Groundnut

5.1.1. Aphids - Aphis craccivora (Aphididae: Hemiptera)

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), otherwise known as Lady’s finger or Bhindi is an annual malvaceous plant and the sixth important vegetable crop cultivated throughout the country mostly in kharif and summer seasons. Though it is reported to be originated from tropical and sub-tropical Africa, but it has gained much importance in India as the secondary centre of origin. India ranked first in okra production in the World and major okra producing Indian states are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Assam (Anonymous, 2011).

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), otherwise known as Lady’s finger or Bhindi is an annual malvaceous plant and the sixth important vegetable crop cultivated throughout the country mostly in kharif and summer seasons. Though it is reported to be originated from tropical and sub-tropical Africa, but it has gained much importance in India as the secondary centre of origin. India ranked first in okra production in the World and major okra producing Indian states are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Assam (Anonymous, 2011).

Okra, commonly known as lady’s finger is a significant vegetable crops primarily grown in tropics and subtropics. Production and productivity of okra is affected by the incidence of pests and diseases. More than 70 insect pests have been recorded in okra (Ewete, 1978).
Biology: Forewings of the moth white with a pea- green wedge-shaped band running medially from base to outer margin of each wing. Eggs are laid on tender parts of the plant, leaf axils, bracts, leaf veins, buds, flowers and fruits singly or in two’s or threes. Egg period - 3-4 days. Caterpillars are brownish with median longitudinal streak dorsally and pale yellow or green ventrally. Larval period is 2 weeks. Pupae are seen on the plant in dirty white boat shaped cocoons made of silk. Pupal period is one week. The life cycle is completed in about a month.
Nature of damage and Symptoms
The newly hatched larvae bore into the terminal shoots or fruits. The damaged shoots droop, wither and dry up. The infested fruits are deformed with holes on them plugged with excreta.

Distribution
Thrips tabaci is present in the central and southern regions of India, occupying about 36.4% of the land area under the current climate conditions. In central India, the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and parts of Rajasthan offer highly suitable habitats. In the northern region, areas such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, & parts of the northeastern states are favorable. In southern India, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, & Tamil Nadu are particularly suitable.
Biology Adults: Adult onion thrips overwinter in soil in onion, small grain, and hay fields. More mobile than immature stages, adults can fly and are attracted to white and yellow colours, often landing on clothing or skin. They are elongated, with body colour ranging from yellow to brown, and have pale, fringed wings. Adults measure 1.0–1.3 mm for females and 0.7 mm for males. Their lifespan is 16–42 days on garlic and 28–30 days on onion. Females lay eggs for up to three weeks after a one-week preoviposition period. In spring, adults emerge, colonize weed hosts, & can fly or be carried by wind to new plants.
Eggs
Females lay eggs individually in leaf tissue, with one end near the surface for immatures to emerge. The eggs are microscopic, kidney-shaped, and initially white or yellow, turning orange with reddish eye spots as they mature. On onion, eggs average 0.23 mm in length and 0.08 mm in width. The incubation period is 4–5 days on onion, with hatching occurring in 2–3 days in the lab, but 5–10 days in cooler field conditions.

Orchids belong to the family Orchidaceae, one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants, with over 28,000 species and more than 100,000 hybrids worldwide. They are renowned for their exotic beauty, structural diversity, and ornamental value. Orchids, a diverse and prized group of ornamental plants, are sensitive to a variety of insect and mite pests. These pests affect orchids grown both under protected conditions (greenhouses, polyhouses) and in open environments.
Distribution: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim, Maharashtra
Biology: Eggs are laid under the female’s shell and may remain after death. Crawlers are mobile and settle to feed, secreting protective coverings. Females remain stationary; males, where present, are short-lived and winged. Multiple overlapping generations per year occur under warm, humid conditions. Crawlers are the most susceptible to control treatments
(Smith et al., 2018).

Papaya (Carica papaya Linn.) belongs to the family Caricaceae was introduced in India in 16th century by the Portugese. It is one of the few plants which produce fruits throughout the year. It owes its popularity to various simple reasons like, it requires less area per tree, comes to fruiting in a year, easy to cultivate, provides per hectare income next only to banana and has a high nutritive and medicinal value. Though papaya is a native of tropical America but presently it is being grown in all the tropical and sub-tropical countries, e.g. Australia, Hawaii, Taiwan, Peurto Rico, Peru, Florida, Texas, California in the USA, various parts of Central and South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

Pineapple Ananas comosus (Linn.) Merr. (Family – Bromeliaceae) is a tropical plant with edible fruit comprising of coalesced and the most economically important plant. The pineapple is native of southern Brazil and its wild relatives present at Paraguay. It was introduced in India by the Portuguese. Before arrival of Columbus the Indians deported it to West Indies. The Spanish introduced pineapple in Philippines. It was also introduced in Hawaii during early 16^th Century. The fruit reached in England during 1660 and began to grown in greenhouses in around 1720.

11.1. Tea

11.1.1. Tea mosquito bug: Helopeltis theivora

Symptoms

• Adults and nymphs suck sap from buds, young leaves and tender stems.

• Punctures appear as reddish brown spots.

• Leaves curl up, badly deformed and shoots dry up.

Management

• Spray clothianidin 50 WDG 120 g/ha or thiacloprid 21.7 SC 375 ml/ha or thiamethoxam 25 WG 100g/ha or bifenthrin 8 SC 500 ml/ha.

Potato is one of the major non cereal food crops in the world and ranks fourth after rice, wheat and maize. Due to its high production potential per unit area and time, the crop has been recorded for sustaining millions of lives during the times of war and hunger. Native of South America, this crop was introduced into India in
early seventieth century. Currently India ranks 3rd for area and 2nd for production in the world [AICRP (Potato) Bulletin No. 2].

Potato is one of the major non cereal food crops in the world and ranks fourth after rice, wheat and maize. Due to its high production potential per unit area and time, the crop has been recorded for sustaining millions of lives during the times of war and hunger. Native of South America, this crop was introduced into India in early seventieth century. Currently India ranks 3rd for area and 2nd for production in the world [AICRP (Potato) Bulletin No. 2]. Potato is generally grown as rabi crop during October to December in gangetic plains of India but in hills it is grown almost throughout the year as commercial cultivation. In some states like Karnataka, it is generally grown during kharif season.

Introduction
Potato is a tuber crop belonging to the Family solanaceae. In India large number of insects are attacking potato both in field as well as storage thereby causing both direct and indirect losses to farmers.
Distribution
Potatoes are cultivated in almost all states of India, but the majority of the crop is grown in the Indo-Gangetic plains of North India. The major potato growing states are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Bihar, and Karnataka (Rana and Anwer, 2018).
Distribution
Most potato cultivating fields of North India
Host plants: Carrot, broccoli, cabbage, mustard, radish, cucumber, pepper, wheat, rice (Holman, 2009).

4.1. Black gram, green gram, lablab and cowpea

4.1.1. Bean aphid: Aphis craccivora (Aphididae: Hemiptera)

1. Host range: Groundnut, redgram, peas, beans, safflower, lablab, niger

Rose, one of the most popular cut flowers of the world known as the queen of flowers owing to its fragrance and aesthetic value. The rose has represented love, affection, innocence, and other noble traits for thousands of years. Roses are used for bouquets, flower arrangements, garlands, and worship. Apart from these, it is widely used in ayurvedic preparations, perfumes, soaps, cosmetics and also as flavouring agents in soft drinks and beverages.
1. Rose thrips: Rhipiphorothrips cruentatus, Thripidae, Thysanoptera
Adults are blackish brown in colour while nymphs are reddish in colour. Both adult and nymph lacerates leaves from the under surface and also on flower and flower buds.
Host range: Rose, grapes, Lagestoemia indica, Punica granatum.
Biology: Adult thrips lay about 45-55 eggs. Eggs are inserted into the plant tissues. The nymphal period is about 2-3 weeks, and the adult period is about five days.

Sapota, Manilkara zapota (Linn.) (Family: Sapotaceae), commonly known as sapodilla or chiku, is a perennial and evergreen fruit tree. It is native to Southern Mexico, Central America as well as Caribbean. This fruit was introduced during 1888 in Thane district of Maharashtra in India (Cheema et al., 1954). Now, it is an important tropical fruit grown almost throughout the country except in hilly areas. The fruit is a rich source of sugar, minerals, vitamins and dietary fibers. Presently the India is considered to be the largest producer of Sapota in the world (Nandre and Shukla, 2014).

7.1. Pepper

7.1.1. Pollu beetle: Longitarsus nigripennis

Symptoms

• Grub feeds on growing tip, tender stem, leaf petiole, spikes and berry.

• Tunneling of tender stem causes drying up of shoot.

• Spikes tunneled by grubs turn black and cause dropping of spikes due to rotting.

• Grubs bore into the berries and feed on entire internal contents.

• Exit holes could be seen on dry berries and turn dark - called ’Pollu’ berries.

Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is an important fruit crop in India and its commercial production is possible in temperate and sub-tropical areas of the country. According to the Ministry Agriculture, Government of India estimates, production of the fruit in India has dropped by 40% from 8,000 metric tonnes in 2014-15 to around 5,000 metric tonnes in both 2015-16 and 2016-17. Strawberries mainly consist of water (91%) and carbohydrates (7.7%). They contain only minor amounts of fat (0.3%) and protein (0.7%). The nutrients in 100 gm of raw strawberries are, calories 32, 91% water, 0.7gm protein, 7.7 gm carbohydrate, 4.9 gm sugar, 2 gm fiber and 0.3 gm fat. Strawberries should not lead to big spikes in blood sugar levels and are considered safe for people with diabetes. It is also useful for weight loss and can help prevent many diseases.The most abundant vitamins and minerals in strawberries are, vitamin C, vitamin B9, potassium and manganese. To a lesser extent, strawberries also provide iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamins B6, K and E.

7.1. Early shoot borer: Chiloinfuscatellus snellen

1. Damage symptoms