New Horizons in Insect Science Towards Sustainable Pest Management

389

Sustainable Management of

Tea Mosquito Bug Helopeltis

antonii Signoret (Miridae:

Hemiptera) on Cashew

C. Manja Naik, A. K. Chakravarthy, Timmanna and

N. E. Thyagaraj

A. K. Chakravarthy (ed.), New Horizons in Insect Science: Towards Sustainable Pest Management,
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2089-3_34, © Springer India 2015

C. M. Naik () · A. K. Chakravarthy · Timmanna ·
N. E. Thyagaraj
Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural
Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560 065, India
e-mail: [email protected]

A. K. Chakravarthy
Department of Agricultural Entomology, Gandhi Krishi
Vignan Kendra (GKVK), University of Agricultural
Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Abstract

A series of observations were recorded on natural enemies and their role

in suppression of tea mosquito bug (TMB) Helopeltis antonii Signoret

in the cashew plantations of Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Brah-

mavar and Pethri village, Udupi district and in maidan (plains) tracts of

Chintamani, Karnataka during 2006–2008. The ant, Oecophylla smarag-

dina Fabricius was the most effective predator against TMB. Cashew

trees fully colonized by O. smaragdina received the least TMB damage

of 11.40 + 1.87 and 8.71 + 1.23 % during 2006–2008 in coastal and maidan

Karnataka, respectively. TMB damage colonized with O. smaragdina was

23.40 + 2.16 in coastal and 20.12 + 2.05 in maidan habitat. The unsprayed

cashew trees with no ant recorded maximum damage of 47.42 + 3.71 and

52.36 + 3.86 % in coastal and maidan tracts, respectively. Higher nut yield

of 3.70 kg/tree in coastal and 2.43 kg/tree in maidan tract was recorded

from the trees fully colonized with O. smaragdina. The yellow crazy ant

( Anoplolepis gracilipes F Smith) was a deterring factor for the spread, es-

tablishment and effectiveness as a predator on colonies of O. smaragdina

in cashew plantations in Karnataka. Telenomus species was the predomi-

nant egg parasitoid on TMB. Maximum egg parasitisation of 16.80, 15.35

and 12.70 % was recorded on TMB eggs in Brahmavar, Pethri and Chin-

tamani cashew plantations, respectively, in December, 2006–2008. The

sequential sprays of monocrotophos (0.05 %)—λ cyhalothrin (0.005 %)—

carbaryl (0.10 %) registered the least percentage TMB damage, higher nut

yield and higher C to B ratio.