Pigeon Pea & Red Gram
Pod Bug
Riptortus pedestris
Insect
In a Nutshell
- Brownish medium size plant hopper.
- Shedding of green pods.
- Poorly filled pods with black spots and shrivelled grains inside.
Can also be found in
Pigeon Pea & Red Gram
Symptoms
The insects are seen clustered around on the pods. They are of a brown or light green colour. The young insects and adults suck the juice of unripe seeds from the green pods. Infested pods shrivell and show yellow patches and brown feeding scars with smaller seeds. If the infestation is severe, the tender parts of the plant will shrivel and eventually dry out.
Recommendations
Organic Control
Physical collection of bugs in a vessel with water and oil to reduce the population. During flowering and pod formation, bugs can be collected and killed by hand in small plots. Apply a mixture of black soap and kerosene: Dissolve 170 g of black soap in 150 ml of water. Dissolve this in 1 L of kerosene to form a thick concentrate of soap/kerosene mixture. Dissolve 400 ml of the mixture to 5 L of water. Spray at weekly intervals after pods development.
Chemical Control
Dimethoate, Methyl demeton, Imidacloprid or Thiamethoxam are potential efficient insecticides that can be sprayed.
What caused it?
The pod bug is favoured by sunny days as well as high humidity levels. After weather like this, you might see an infestation. Brownish black and elongated narrow plant hopper with long legs. The youngest are delicate, creamy yellowish and later turn greenish-brown. Then start to resemble dark brown ants. Adults are brown, slender and quick flying and jumping.
Preventive Measures
- Plant resistant cultivars.
- Plant early to avoid periods of heavy infestation.
- Intercrop with sorghum or green gram to reduce populations.
- Do not intercrop with maize.
- Keep an eye on plants one month after planting.
- Inspect crops regularly, particularly in the morning hours when bugs are active.
- Clean up old plant stems to stop insects from surviving in leftover crop debris.
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