Utilisation of host plant defence against polyphagous defoliator: Bihar hairy caterpillar, Spilosoma obliqua Walker infesting blackgram, Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53550/jfl.v39i1.2485Keywords:
Antibiosis, Crop wild relatives, Dual choice assay, Field screening, Host plant resistance, Insect plant interaction, Leaf disc method, Preference index, UrdbeanAbstract
Bihar hairy caterpillar (BHC), Spilosoma obliqua Walker is a major defoliator infesting blackgram in India and other Southeast Asian countries. Its infestation in early crop stages severely impacts plant population establishment and results in yield loss. BHC, being a polyphagous insect pest, has developed insecticide resistance to chemical insecticides; therefore, sustainable management can be done only by finding a resistant source. Hence, in the present experiment, 59 blackgram genotypes and 10 wild germplasms were screened against BHC by deploying T-9 as susceptible check in the Dual choice assay for two consecutive seasons and found three wild germplasms viz., Vigna radiata (IC571775), Vigna silvestris (IC539798), and Vigna dalzelliana (IC247408), as promising based on preference index score (<0.08). Further, almost all cultivated genotypes have shown susceptibility to BHC, barring three cultivated genotypes: SUG11-25, PU-19, and Shekar-3. The field screening revealed that only five out of the 60 germplasms screened have shown susceptibility to BHC, with T-9 being the most susceptible cultivar with the highest percent damaged leaf per plant (43. 84).
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