eChapters

Downy Mildew
Diagnostic Symptoms
• At first grayish white, moldy growth appears on the lower leaf surface, and a yellowish area appears on the opposite side of the leaf.
• Infected leaves can turn yellow and die if weather is cool and damp.
• Stems may be distorted and stunted.
• Brown blotches appear on pods, and mold may grow inside pods(Fig-2).
Etiology
Scientific Classification
Phylum :Heterokontophyta
Class : Oomycota
Order : Peronosporales
Family :Peronosporaceae
Genus :Peronospora

 

Ascochyta Blight
Diagnostic Symptoms
• All above ground parts of the plant are infected.
• Round or elongated lesions, bearing irregularly depressed brown spot and surrounded by a brownish red margin on leaf.
• Similar spots may appear on the stem and pods.
• Spots on the stem and pods have pycnidia arranged in concentric circles as minute black dots.
• When the lesions girdle the stem, the portion above the point of attack rapidly dies.
• If the main stem is girdles at the collar region, the whole plant dies (Fig.1).
Etiology
Scientific Classification
Kingdom : Fungi
Division : Eumycota

1. Rhizoctonia aerial blight / Web blight
Symptoms
• The soybean Rhizoctonia aerial blight is a damaging foliar disease that quickly defoliates plants in warm, humid climates.
• Rhizoctonia solani causes soybean aerial blight, which manifests as leaf and pod spots, leaf blight, defoliation, lesions on the stem and petiole, a mycelium that resembles a cobweb, and sclerotia that form on diseased leaves.
• The plant’s lower or central sections are where infection starts, and it progressively spreads upward.
• The leaves first have wet patches that eventually become green to reddish brown in color before turning tan, brown, or black.
• Small spots at first eventually combine to cover a significant portion of the leaf.
• Affected leaves droop and stick to the pods and stem underneath them during the aerial blight phase, infecting the pods and seeds in the process.

Tikka or Leaf Spot
Cercospora arachidicola/ Phaeoisariopsis personatum
Diagnostic Symptoms
• Disease is caused by two different pathogens, namely, Cercospora arachidicola and Phaeoisariopsis personatum.
• The two pathogens mostly occur on the same leaves.
• The Cercospora arachidicola appears about a month earlier than the Phaeoisariopsis personatum.
• The two pathogens cause symptoms differing each other. Early leaf spot
• Sub-circular dark brown spots having 1 to over 10 mm diameter are produced on the upper leaflet surface.
• Spots are of lighter shade of brown on the lower side of the leaflets.
• Yellow halo is seen around the brown spots.
• Dark brown in colour on the upper leaflet surface where most sporulation occurs and a lighter shade of brown on the lower leaflet surface.

1. Blast
Pyricularia grisea
Diagnostic Symptoms
• Crop is susceptible to the disease during all stages of its growth, from seedling to grain formation stage.
• In young seedlings, lesions are generally of spindle shaped, however lesions of different sizes may also be observed.
• In the beginning the spots have yellowish margin and grayish centre. Later, the centres become whitish grey and disintegrate.
• Lesions are isolated in the beginning and afterwards they may soon coalesce. The distal portion of the leaves beyond the lesions may hang and drop off.
• In older plants, the disease appears on leaf blades with typical spindle shaped spots.
• Under congenial conditions, such spots enlarge, coalesce and form bigger lesions.
• Lesions are like those on the seedlings and are about 0.3-0.5 cm in breadth and 1-2 cm in length. Apices of the infected leaves beyond the lesions hang down and sometimes break.
• Stem infection causes blackening of the nodal region, penetrating into the tissues.

1. Downy Mildew (Green Ear)
Sclerospora graminicola
Diagnostic Symptoms
• Characteristic symptoms of the disease are pale, chlorotic, broad streaks extending from base to tip of leaves.
• At the advancement of disease, the leaf streaks turn brown and the leaves become shredded longitudinally.
• In severe infection, the downy fungal growth can be seen on the upper as well as lower surface of the leaves.
• Infected plants fail to form ear but if formed, they are malformed to green leafy structures.
• Complete ear can be transformed into leafy structure.
• Pathogen transformed all floral parts such as glumes, palea, stamens and pistils into green linear leafy structures of variable lengths and no grains are produced.
• Partial infection of ear head is observed in which some grains are produced and rest of the ear head is converted in to a green ear(Fig-1).

Loose Smut
Sphacelotheca cruenta
Diagnostic Symptoms
• Affected plants can be detected before the ears come out.
• Shorter than the healthy plants with thinner stalks and marked tillering.
• Ears come out much earlier than the healthy.
• Glumes are hypertrophied and the ear head gives a loose appearance than healthy.
• Sorus is covered by a thin membrane which ruptures very early, exposing the spores even as the head emerges from the sheath(Fig-1).
Etiology
Scientific Classification
Kingdom : Fungi
Division : Eumycota

Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight
Diagnostic Symptoms
• From the crop’s seedling stage until crop maturity, this pathogen can infect the plant at any point in its growth.
• The disease initially appears on the first and second leaf sheaths above the ground, and it eventually spreads to the ears, where it results in ear rot.
• The hallmark symptoms of ear rot include the presence of light brown, cottony mycelium on the plant’s ear, small, rounded black sclerotia, early ear drying, and caking of the ear sheath.
• When there is humidity, the infection that first appears on the lower sheath extends to the upper sheaths, causing leaf sheath rot and complete leaf drying.
• When the condition worsens, the majority of the plant’s leaves become blighted, and easily detachable sclerotia form on the lesions.
• The disease manifests as a straw-colored, wet, irregular to roundish patch on both leaf surfaces on the basal sheath.

Rust
The rust of wheat has been studied more than any other disease in the world. K.C. Mehta and colleagues conducted exceptional research on the disease in India. There are three recognized wheat rusts. These include Puccinia graminis tritici, which causes black stem rust; Puccinia recondita, which causes brown rust (leaf rust); and P. striiformis, which causes yellow rust. Considering their later seasonal arrival, brown and yellow rusts inflict more damages than black rust.
1. Black or Stem Rust
Diagnostic Symptoms
• Symptoms are produced on almost all aerial parts of the wheat plant but are most common on stem, leaf sheaths.
• Brown pustules of uredina appear on lower surface of the leaves, leaf sheaths and the stems, and on the spikes. which give them a rusty appearance.
• Uredina form urediniospores , which are the repeating spores.
• Uredina gradually start producing teliospores and finally transform into telia.

1. Blast
Diagnostic Symptoms
• Pathogen attacks the crop at all stages of crop growth.
• Symptoms appear on leaves, nodes, rachis, and glumes. On the leaves, the lesions appear as small bluish green flecks, which enlarge under moist weather to form the characteristic spindle shaped spots with grey centre and dark brown margin (Leaf blast).
• Spots coalesce as the disease progresses and large areas of the leaves dry up and wither. Severely infected nursery and field appear as burnt.• Black lesions appear on nodes girdling them. The affected nodes may break up and all the plant parts above the infected nodes may die (nodal blast).
• During flower emergence, the fungus attacks the peduncle and the lesion turns to brownish-black which is referred to as rotten neck / neck rot / panicle blast (neck blast).
• In early neck infection, grain filling does not occur while in late infection, partial grainfilling occurs (Fig.1).

BERSEEM CLOVER (Trifolium alexandrinum)
Fungal diseases
i) Damping-off
Symptoms
Pre-emergence damping-off: Seeds decay inside the soil.
Post-emergence damping-off: Sometimes after germination water-soaked blighted seedlings develop. Seedlings collapse and wilt. Stem and root tissues rot below the soil surface.
Causal organism
i) Pythium spinosum var. spinosum
ii) Rhizoctonia solani
Favourable condition
i) Promoted by high humidity
ii) Poor air circulation.

MINT (Mentha sp)
Fungal diseases
1. Stolon Rot
Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves is observed at early stage of infection. In later stage wilting of plants are noticed followed by drying of the entire plants.
Causal organism: Macrophomina phaseoli
Management
i) Stolons should be collected from healthy fields.
ii) Use of healthy and disease free stolons for planting.
ii) Treatment of stolons with Metalaxyl 8% + Mancozeb 64% WP (0.3%)
before planting.
2. Rust
Symptoms. In the spring or summer season the leaves and upper portion of stems are affected and become twisted. Yellow/ dusty orange pustules appear on the leaves and stems. In later part the pustules become black. Drying of leaves followed by defoliation occur.

SUGARCANE (Saccharum officinarum)
Fungal diseases
1) Red rot
Symptoms: It is one of the most destructive disease of sugarcane. Dark reddish spot with brown margin appear along the mid rib. When the diseased canes are split open red blotches with transversely elongated white centres are seen. Under humid conditions numerous black dot like acervuli develop in the central discoloured portions. The diseased tissues emit a typical alcoholic odour. The juice of the affected stalks gives a sour alcoholic smell.
Causal organism: Colletotrichum falcatum
Management
i) Select healthy and disease free setts.
ii) Dip the setts on Carbendazim 50% WP or Thiophanate Methyl 70% WP @0.15% solution for 30 minutes before planting.
iii) Avoid rationing of infested crops.
iv) Growing resistant/tolerant varieties, i.e. Co6907, Co 7219, Co838,
 

COTTON (Gossypium spp)
Fungal diseases
1) Damping off
Symptoms: The seeds may rot. Initially the roots and hypocotyls become water soaked and pale green in colour. The hypocotyls become constricted above the soil level and seedlings fall down. Causal organism: Pythium aphanidermatum
Management
i) Seed treatment
ii) Growing of resistant varieties.
2) Root rot
Symptoms: Roots of infected plants rot and show shredding of the bark. The affected plants can be easily pulled out.
Causal organism: Rhizoctonia solani

GROUNDNUT (Arachis hypogea)
Fungal diseases
1) Collar rot
Symptoms: The hypocotyls of germinating seeds are infected. The germinating seeds become covered with sooty black masses of spores. The infected tissues become dark brown and shredded. Necrosis and shredding of tissues may extend into branches.
The organism is both soil borne and seed borne.
Causal organism: Aspergillus niger
Management
i) Seed treatment with Carbendazim 50% WP @ 2-2. 5g/kg or Carboxin 37.5% WP +Thiram 37.5% WP @ 3gm/kg of seed.
ii) Growing of resistant varieties like Smruti

GREEN GRAM (Vigna radiata) & BLACK GRAM (Vigna mungo)
Fungal diseases
1) Seed and seedling rot
Symptoms: The seeds rot before germination and after germination the seedlings also show rotting. The disease can be easily identified by poor germination and poor stand of the crop.
Causal organisms
i) Fusarium sp
ii) Pythium sp
iii) Rhizoctonia solani
iv) Macrophomina phaseoli
 

FINGER MILLET (Eleusine coracana)
Fungal diseases
1) Blast
Symptoms: The above ground parts (leaf, leaf sheath, stems) of the plant exihibit the symptoms. The seedlings and adult plants are affected by the pathogen. Eye-shaped spots appear on leaf and leaf sheath having dark brown margin with ashy centre. These spots coalesce to form large patches and the leaves are blighted. Affected leaves wither prematurely and the seedlings may be killed. Lesions appear on the leaf blades, leaf sheaths and culms on adult plants and cause blightening.

RICE (Oryza sativa)
Fungal diseases
1. Blast
Symptoms: All above ground parts (leaf, leaf sheath, culm) of the plant are affected. There are three type of blasts (leaf blast, node blast, neck blast)
Leaf blast: Eye or spindle shaped spots on leaves (margin is dark brown and centre becomes ashy) and leaf sheath are observed. Several spots appear on the leaves cause blightening.

Cocoa, Theobroma cacao is an important commercial plantation crop of humid tropics. It was introduced as a mixed crop in India and is cultivated in coconut and arecanut plantations large scale from 1970 onwards. It is grown as an under- storey intercrop with sufficient shade in southern states of India. Tamil Nadu is the major cocoa producing state in India. Some pests of economic importance are described hereunder:

Mealy bugs, Planococcus lilacinus (Ckll.) and P. citri (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera)

These two species are most prevalent in all cocoa growing tracts of the country. Beside cocoa, it also infests coffee, citrus, guava, mango, etc. The adult female is an oval wingless insect which measures 4mm in length. The body colour is chocolate brown and the dorsal body surface is covered with thick waxy covering (Plate 14g). The male is winged and free living.

India produces two types of coffee i.e. arabica, Coffea arabica and robusta, C. canephora. The former has higher market value than the latter. Coffee is cultivated mainly in the Southern parts of India with Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu being the major coffee producing states. Some of the major pests which limits the cultivation of coffee are described below:

White stem borer, Xylotrechus quadripes Cheverolat (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera)

It is a serious pest of Arabica coffee in India. Alternate host plants include Robusta coffee, teak and Indian olive tree. Eggs are milky white when freshly laid but turns yellow later on. These are elongate, oval in shape and measures 1.25 –1.28 mm in length and 0.46 – 0.5 mm in width. The adult is a dark brown longicorn beetle (16mm long) and bears several white markings on the elytra (Plate 14c). The pale yellow stout full grown grub broader towards the anterior most region, measures 20-30 mm in length.

Tea, Camellia sinensis is one of the most important beverage crops. India is the second largest producer of tea globally. North eastern parts contribute to 80 per cent of the total tea production in the country with majority coming from Assam and West Bengal. Southern parts contribute around 20 per cent with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka being the major tea producing states. About 150 insect pests are reported on tea out of which foliage feeders like Tea mosquito bug, bunch caterpillar and mites act as direct pests. The details of major insect pests are being given hereunder:

Tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis antonii Signoret and H. theivora Waterhouse (Miridae: Hemiptera)

This is one of the major pests of tea in India and besides tea it also infests cashew, neem, drumstick and guava. The eggs are sausage shaped and bear two minute hairs on operculum, which project out of the egg. Nymphs of H. antonii are reddish and ant-like, while those of H. theivora are dirty yellow or greenish yellow. The adult of H. antonii is a reddish-brown bug with black head, red thorax and black and white abdomen, whereas, the adult of H. theivora is a small, active elongated bug with black or olive green head

Cashewnut, Anacardium occidentale is one of the important plantation crops grown for its delicious kernel. It is mostly grown in coastal belts of South-West and South-East India including the states like Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and also in the non-traditional areas including inlands of central India and parts of Northeastern regions. It is an important cash crop and has attained the status of export-oriented commodity. In India alone around 200 insect pests have been reported on cashew causing damage during different stages of crop growth. Stem and root borer and Tea mosquito bugs, blossom webber and leafminer pests of economic importance, the details of which is given hereunder:

Stem and root borer, Plocaederus ferrugineus L. and P. obesus Gahan (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera)

It is a very serious pest of cashew in both east and west coasts of India. It is also recorded on sapota, drumstick and citrus trees. Among the two species, P. ferrugineus is the commonly occurring species. Eggs are pale white, ovoid and smooth measuring about 4.5 x 2.0mm. The grubs are stout, fleshy ivory yellow with dark brown head and wrinkled body without legs, and measures 75mm in length, when full grown. The adult of P. ferrugineus is a medium sized (2540mm) dark brown longicorn beetle

India is the largest producer and consumer of areca nut, Areca catechu also known as betel nut or supari, in the world. It also holds significant cultural and religious importance. Major cultivation is done in Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya and West Bengal. Spindle bug and inflorescence caterpilar are the major pests alongwith root grub, the details of which are provided hereunder:

Spindle bug, Mircarvalhoia arecae (Miller and China) (Miridae: Hemiptera)

It is a major indirect pest of arecanut plantations in all arecanut growing tracts. Eggs are oval having 2 bristle like structures arising from operculum. The nymphs are greenish to violet brown, thorax and border of the abdomen light violet brown and head is light yellow with red eyes. The adult is a hairy dark violet brown bug with black tipped abdomen (Plate 12h) and measures 6mm in length and 2mm in breadth.

Plantation Crops

Plantation crops occupy an area of around 4 million hectares which is about 2.8 per cent of the total cropped area. However, the export potential of these crops is high and they account for 27 per cent of total agricultural export. The common plantation crops include coconut, oil palm, areca nut, tea, coffee, cocoa, cashewnut and rubber etc. Various pests infest these crops at different stages and cause economic damage. The crop wise details are as under:

Coconut Coconut,

Cocos nucifera also known as ‘Kalpa Vriksha’, as all the parts of the tree are utilized in one or other way. India is the largest producer of coconut in the world. Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh accounts for 90 per cent production of coconut. The other states namely West Bengal, Odisha ,Gujarat, Assam and Bihar contribute around 10 per cent of the total coconut producción. Pests at different stages of crop growth infest coconut tres, resulting in significant economic damage.

Fig, Ficus carica grows in both mild temperate climates and in the tropics. In India, it is a minor fruit crop and the commercial cultivation is mainly confined to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu though is slowly spreading to warmer areas of Northern parts of the country. Very few insect pests come under the major category, the description of which is provided below:

Stem borer, Batocera rufomaculata (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera)

It is commonly known as mango and fig borer. The adults of this pest bear long serrated antennae and are also called as longicorn beetles. The adults get attracted to light. The female cuts the tree bark and lays eggs singly into these cuts, laying a total of up to 200 eggs. On hatching the larvae start to tunnel into the sapwood of the trunk or branches. The larvae pupate inside the tunnel and the adult comes out of pupae by cutting a circular hole. Frass comes out

Aonla or Indian gooseberry, Emblica officinalis is indigenous to Indian sub-continent. India ranks first in the world in area and production of this crop. Aonla is mainly cultivated in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh etc. It performs well even in the wastelands. Aonla is a plant of great medicinal value and its fruits are a rich source of vitamin C. It has acrid, cooling, diuretic and laxative properties. Dried fruits are useful in hemorrhages, diarrhoea, dysentery, anaemia, jaundice, dyspepsia and cough. Aonla is used in the indigenous medicines (Aurvedic system) viz. trifla and chayvanprash. Fruits are commonly used for preserve (murabbas), pickles, candy, jelly and jam. Besides fruits, leaves, bark and even seeds are being used for various purposes. Very few insect pests are reported on aonla and the details of which are provided here under:

Mealy bug, Planococcus citri Risso (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera)

It is a highly polyphagous pest feeding on wide range of cultivated/ uncultivated plants. Citrus, mango, guava are few major hosts besides aonla. The bug is a small soft bodied insect the female of which is wingless

Papaya, Carica papaya is a fruit mainly grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions. India is top most producer of papaya in the world and accounts for around 45 per cent of the total papaya production in the world. In India, the main cultivation of papaya is in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. In north, due to frost problem, the cultivation is fruitful only in frost free areas as this fruit crop is highly frost sensitive. Few insect pests are of major concern in the cultivation of papaya, the description of which is given hereunder:

Papaya mealy bug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams & Granara de Willink (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera)

It is an invasive pest believed to be a native of Mexico or Central America. In India, it was first reported in Tamil Nadu during July 2008 infesting papaya and later it spread to number of fruit, vegetables and ornamental crops in many states. The eggs are grain like and greenish yellow. The nymphs as well as adult is yellow but appears white due to waxy coating over its body

Grape, Vitis vinifera are cultivated mainly in the sub-tropical and tropical regions, however, it can also be grown in the temperate regions. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu are the main grape growing states. In India, the grapevine cultivation is mainly for producing fruits for the table purpose. Around 80 insect pests and mites cause damage in the grape vine yards directly or indirectly, of which few are of major importance. The damage can be checked if the details of the major pest problems are known in advance. The details about major insect pests and mites are given hereunder:

Thrips, Rhipiphorothrips cruentatus Hood (Thripidae: Thysanoptera)

It is a polyphagous pest feeding on number of hosts like rose, jamun, guava etc. but grapevine is the most preferred host. This pest is prevalent in all grapevine growing regions of the country. The eggs are bean shaped and dirty white. The nymphs are yellowish brown with reddish brown abdomen. The pupa is brownish and have irritative movements on

The cultivation of pineapple, Ananas comosus is prevalent in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and North eastern parts of the country. It is one of the choicest fruits all over the world because of its pleasant taste and flavour. Pineapple is a good source of vitamin A and B and fairly rich in vitamin C and minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. It is also a source of bromelin, a digestive enzyme. In addition to being eaten fresh, the fruit can also be canned and processed in to different forms. The description of some of the major pests infesting pineapple are given hereunder:

Mealy bug, Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell) (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera)

It is a polyphagous pest and besides pineapple it infests banana, sugarcane, citrus, coffee and long pepper. These are small, oval and soft bodied sucking insects. The eggs are pink in colour but remain inside the female body. The first stage nymphs are called crawlers which moves to find a suitable spot for sucking of cell sap, thereafter they settle at a particular place. The adult is elliptical and bears 17 pairs of wax filaments (Plate 10h). The colour of the pest is pink but looks white due to white waxy covering. The mealy bug first infests root and later they are found

Sapota, Manilkara zapota commonly called Chickoo is a popular tropical winter fruit cultivated widely in Gujarat, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In north, its cultivation is seen across Jammu to Dehradun. Very few insect pests infest Sapota, the details of which are given hereunder:

Sapota leaf webber, Nephopteryx eugraphella Ragonot (Pyralidae: Lepidoptera)

This is a pest of major concern in Chickoo cultivation in India. The eggs are oval and pale yellow in colour which change to reddish brown near hatching. The caterpillar is pinkish in appearance and bears two longitudinal dorsolateral lines. The full fed larva measures 25 mm in length. The newly formed light green pupa changes to reddish brown in the later stage. The adult is a greyish moth having hooked antennae (Plate 10e) bears two vertical lines on the forewing whereas, the hind wings

Banana, Musa paradisiaca is one of the most important tropical fruit crops. India tops in the production of banana in the world and almost throughout the year banana fruit is available form one or another part of our country. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are the major states in cultivating and producing banana in India. The major insect pests associated with banana crop are described hereunder:

Banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Curculionidae: Coleoptera)

It is most destructive and specific pest of banana and is distributed throughout the country. The eggs are elongate, oval (about 2 mm long), pearly white and present on upper surface and crevices of rhizome. The grubs are creamy white, stout, fleshy swollen in the middle and has red head capsule (Plate 10a). The full grown grub measures 15 mm in length. Pupae are white and found in the pupal chamber made in the periphery of rhizome. The newly emerged weevil is shiny reddish brown but soon becomes uniformly black (12.5mm in length). Longitudinal striations are found in the elytra and it does

Pomegranate, Punica granatum is a non-climacteric fruit belonging to smallest Botanical family Punicaceae. In India, Maharashtra is a leading producer of pomegranate followed by Gujarat. Around 90 pests are reported to feed on pomegranate plant out of which only few are of economic concern. The major insect pests and mites are discussed herewith:

Anar butterfly, Deudorix epijarbas (Moore); D. isocrates (Fabricius); (Lycaenidae: Lepidoptera)

Pomegranate fruit borer, commonly known as anar butterfly is a polyphagous direct pest found throughout the country. In addition to pomegranate, it also feeds on number of crops viz. litchi, citrus, loquat, guava, sapota, aonla etc. Even the wild pomegranate is heavily infested by the fruit borer. Two species namely Deudorix epijarbas and D. isocrates are reported feeding on pomegranate out of which the former is found in hilly terrain of Northern India whereas, the latter exists in the plains of the country. The eggs are glossy, light green and shiny. The larva is dark brown with short hairs and bears whitish patches all over the body (Plate 9d). The full fed larva measures 17-20mm. The adult of D. epijarbas is a brownish butterfly with an orange patch in the

Ber, Ziziphus mauritiana is indigenous to India and was called as poor man’s fruit earlier. But now it has become a good source of income to the orchardists, in the arid and semi-arid regions of the country, mainly with the development of new varieties. A number of insect pests (around 150) infest the ber tree but only few are the major ones, the description of which is provided below:

Fruit fly, Carpomya vesuviana Costa (Tephritidae: Diptera)

It is a major pest of ber in all the ber growing regions and proves as a bottleneck in its production and productivity. It is monophagous and develops only in fruits of Ziziphus spp. Most of the cultivated varieties are susceptible to this direct pest. The eggs are small, elongate, spindle shaped and creamy white. Maggots are creamy white (Plate 9a) and slightly smaller than maggots of other fruit flies. Pupae are barrel shaped and brown. Adults are smaller than housefly, brownish yellow with brown longitudinal stripes on the thorax. This fruit fly can be distinguished easily from other species due to distinctive pattern of black marks on the scutum and scutellum (Plate 9a). Wings are hyaline with four yellow cross bands.

Guava, Psidium guajava is one of the important fruits of tropical- sub-tropical regions of the world. It is a native of American tropics and probably originated from Peru north to Mexico and the Caribbean. The major producing countries include India, Brazil and Mexico, of which, Brazil is the largest producer of guava in the world. In India, it is grown over an area of over 2, 05,000 hectares with a production of 2.46 million metric tonnes. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and A. It is used both for processing and for table purpose world over. More than 80 insect pests have been reported to inflict varying degree of damage at different stages of crop growth. The important ones of these are discussed hereunder;

Litchi, Litchi chinensis, is one of the important fruit crops of South East Asia and Australian Continent. The crop thrives well in sub-tropical areas experiencing cool dry winters and warm wet summers. India and China are the major producers of litchi in the world. In India, Bihar, Uttarakhand and West Bengal contribute maximum in litchi production. Few major insect pests and mites are of concern, the details of which are as under:

Red rust, Eriophyid mite, Aceria litchii Keifer (Eriophyidae: Prostigmata) and red rust alga, Cephaleuros virescens Kunze (Trentepholiaceae: Trentepohliales)

Mango, Mangifera indica is indigenous to India and ranks at number one as for as production and export are concerned. The productivity of mango in India is low (6.6MT/ha) and one of the reasons for the same is pests associated with the crop at varying stages of the tree growth. Around 175 insect pests have been reported to infest mango but only few are the major pests the details of which re provided hereunder:

Mango hopper, Idioscopus clypealis (Lethiery); I. niveosparsus (Lethiery); Amritodus atkinsoni (Lethiery) (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera) Hoppers constitute one of the most destructive pests of mango throughout the country. The eggs are dull white and concealed inside tissue. The colour of the nymphs vary from dust yellow to pale yellow and these nymphs walk in a crab like manner. The adults are small wedge shaped grayish insects measuring3.4-5.1mm in length. Amritodus atkinsoni is comparatively bigger and light brown in colour with two spots on scutellum, while Idioscopus clypealis is smallest and lighter in colour with dark spots

Subtropical and Tropical Fruits

Most of the area of India experience subtropical and tropical climate. Subtropical and tropical fruits contribute maximum to the overall fruit production. Major fruit crops cultivated in subtropical and tropical region are citrus, mango, litchi, guava, sapota, pomegranate, banana, ber, sapota, grapevine, papaya etc. Various pests affect the fruit production by infesting at various stages of the tree growth quantitatively as well as qualitatively. The pests of these crops are described fruit wise.

Citrus

Most of the area of our country is tropical and subtropical, where the citrus, Citrus spp. cultivation is practiced and main citrus growing areas are in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Gujarat. As for as the ranking in the world

The stone fruit crops namely peach, Prunus persica, plum, Prunus domestica, apricot, Prunus armeniaca, almond, Prunus dulcis and walnut, Juglans regia are grown in wide range of climatic conditions ranging from subtropical to temperate regions. Peach and plum are also cultivated in mid and low hills in addition to temperate regions. Peach is the major stone fruit crop followed by plum, apricot and cherry. Walnut and almond on the other hand are major nut crops. A number of insect pests (~80) infest stone and nut fruits in various stages of the tree growth and development and cause direct and indirect loss out. Only few pests are of economic concern, the details of which are given hereunder

Peach leaf curling aphid, Brachycaudus helichrysi (Kalt.), Aphididae: Hemiptera

It is a polyphagous pest reported infesting 175 plant species of 115 genera of 49 families. It is a regular and key pest of stone fruits viz. peach, nectarine, plum, apricot and almond and

Various insect and mite pests infest fruit and plantation crops in different stages of crop growth directly or indirectly causing significant losses, hence need their management. The major pests of different fruit and plantation crops, their identification characters, life history, nature of damage and symptoms alongwith its management practices are described crop wise:

Temperate fruits

Pome fruits and stone and nut fruits are mainly cultivated in the temperate regions, which usually requires chilling requirements. Among stone and nut fruits cherry, apricot, peach and plum are the main crops whereas among the nut fruits, walnut, almond are major crops which are a source of handsome income to the orchardists of those areas. The insect and mite pests of pome, stone and nut fruits are described hereunder:

Insects are prevalent on this globe due to their varied adaptations and hence constitute the largest component of the animal kingdom. Only around 5 per cent of the total insect species, act as pests, rest either are beneficial like honey bees, lac insect, silk worms etc. or are harmless. Insect pests can be of medical, veterinary, house hold and agricultural importance, as these creatures harm our health, animals’ health, our belongings and also the agricultural health. Though all these components are equally important but, in this book, the last one i.e. agricultural health, have been taken into consideration. Insect pests cause around 20 per cent loss to our crops by directly or indirectly affecting the crops both quantitatively and qualitatively. The insects have different types of mouth parts which are used for sucking, biting and chewing, sponging and lapping, siphoning etc. for food required for their survival and the insects with sucking and biting, and chewing types of mouth parts cause much of the damage. The mites (Phylum Arthropoda) though do not belong to class Insecta but in some instances also are of economic importance as they cause economic damage to agricultural crops and produce.

Dicotyledons
Ranunculaceae
Juss., Gen. 231. 1789. Type: Ranunculus L.
Ranunculus L., Sp. Pl. 548. 1753. Lectotype: R. auricomus L.
R. sceleratus ssp. sceleratus; Tutin in Fl. Eur. 1: 233. 1964. Ranunculus sceleratus L., Sp. Pl. 551. 1753; Fl. Alld. 1: 2.
Vernacular Name: Jaidhania., Kandira
Description: Annual herbs, erect up to 60-70cm tall. Stem, fistuler simple, glabrescent below, branched and pubescent Leaves 3-5-palmately lobed o partite, lower long-petioled, higher ones panicled. Flowers yellow, Sepals reflexed. Petals oblong. Stamens and carpels numerous. panicled. Achenes with an intramarginal rib. Receptacle pilose.
Distribution: North temperate.
Habitat: A Common-herb during winter near river and pond banks: in wet places in gardens.
 

Collection trips were organized in a planned manner so as to cover every locality in all three seasons. Rural and remote areas which were thus far practically unexplored were surveyed more intensively. Frequency of collection trips was twice a week during first year; once a fortnight in third and once a month in the last and forth years. During the field work, observations on the habit and habitat; flower colour; fragrance; fruiting, colour of the bark and blaze in case of trees and shrubs; dominance and sociability of the collected plants were entered into rough field book. In the mean time information regarding medicinal or other uses, if any, were gathered from local inhabitants, vaidyas and haquims. Plants of small size were uprooted carefully and pressed as such. In case of larger plants, care was taken so that specimens should have flowers, fruits, leaves and stems of young and old stages. At least four specimens, for making herbarium sheets, were pressed at spot after tagging; and a tagged bundle of a few plants was taken in a polythene bag for study in laboratory.

The publication of “Flora of British India” by Hooker (1872-1897) was followed by a series of regional floras by Cooke (1901-08) for Bombay presidency; Prawn (1903) for Bengal: Duthie (completed by Parker & Turrill, 1905-29) for upper gangetic plains and adjacent Siwalik and of sub Himalayan tracts; Kanjilal (1966) for the forest flora of Uttar Pradesh; Gamble (completed by Fisher, 1915-1936) for Presidency of Madras; Haines (1921-1925) for Bihar and Orissa: and Kanji et al (1934-1940) for Assam. Duthie’s work was completed by Raizada and associates (Raizada, 1954, Raizada et al. 1961; 1983; Raizada & Jain, 1964, 1966). Later, Raizada (1976) brought together all additions made to Duthie Flora. However, the trends of additions has persisted afterwards and is hoped to continue onwards as well. Revision of old floras has become all the more important because the nomenclature of a large number of species has changed in accordance with International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (1956, 1961, 1966, 1972, 1978 & 1983).

India has a very wealthy tradition of herbal medicines for the treatment of many health discomforts.The tradional healing practicese are common and popular among all the tribes and communities.It is evident that many communities have so much belief in their ethnobotanical knowledge that they often prefer a traditional medicineal practicener over any certified medical personality. Among all the plant species which have been already reported by many researchers for their ethno medicinal properties are getting very rare in their original habitat.These plants are obviously of great medicinal importance and immediate need of conservation.Some medicinal plants which are exclusively found in forest are getting lost due to habitat fragmentation and enormous deforestation.

Oil palm is a major source of edible oil globally and plays a crucial role in meeting the dietary needs of millions of people. India has been focusing on expanding oil palm cultivation to reduce its dependence on imported edible oils. Oil palm can yield high oil compared to other vegetable oils. Palm oil production rate depends on post-harvest handling, and milling and extraction processes. After harvesting, some quality changes occur in oil palm fresh fruit bunches which leads to reduce the oil quantity and quality. With proper handling of post-harvest bunches and adapting best extraction methods can increase the oil yield and quality. Palm oil alone has the potential to make India sustainable in edible oil production.

Introduction

Oil palm (Elaesis guineensis Jacq.) originated in the tropical rain forest of western Africa and is now being cultivated in more than 45 countries around the world especially tropical regions i.e., Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Columbia, and Ghana. This crop was introduced in India during the early 1990s, to meet the demand and to attain sustainable edible oil production in India due to its high oil-yielding capacity compared to other vegetable oil crops. It produces two distinct oils, i.e., palm oil and palm kernel oil. Palm oil is derived from fleshy mesocarp of the fruit and palm kernel oil obtained from the kernel of stony seed.

Coconut, arecanut and palmyrah, which hold significant cultural and historical importance in India, have been the primary focus of cultivation efforts. Cocoa, a relatively recent addition to India, serves as a companion crop to coconut and arecanut, contributing to the economic well-being of farmers nationwide. However, the current situation emphasizes the crucial role of value addition and product diversification in stabilizing prices. Despite the initial stages of value addition in India’s palm crops, recent innovations and established value chains have the potential to empower farmers as entrepreneurs, thereby augmenting their income. Moreover, the value-added products from these palms have enormous export potential. This chapter explores the advancements in value-added products and the diversification of coconut, arecanut, palmyrah, and cocoa, providing insights into opportunities for cottage or small-scale industries.

Introduction

Agricultural production is necessary to fulfil nutritional requirements for human populations and global food security. The agricultural sector also forms the economic backbone of many low-income countries in which millions of farmers are employed (Anushka et al, 2022). However, managing agricultural production to achieve multiple objectives of providing food, supporting livelihoods and protecting biodiversity and forests is a challenge especially in tropical, low-income countries (Anushka et al, 2022). Usually, the growth in global agricultural production is largely driven by commercial and export oriented commodities. One such agricultural commodity that has high global demand is cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.). Cashew is presently cultivated in 33 countries including India in the world. Global land area for cashew cultivation between 1980 and 2018 has seen an eleven-fold increase from 526,250 ha to 5,972,724 ha (Anushka et al, 2022).