Insect pests of cereal crops in India: New emerging and outbreaks: A review Yadav Sunil Kumar1,*, Bhowmik Sagarika2, Ghintala Akshaya3 1Nalanda College of Horticulture, Noorsarai, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour 2Bihar Agricultural College (BAUSabour) 3Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Hanumangarh-II, Nohar (Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bikaner) *e-mail: 1989sunilyadav@gmail.com
Online Published on 28 December, 2023. Abstract Cereals have an important place in the area, production and dietary composition of the world. During current agriculture, insect-pests are being influenced to such an extent that their distribution and host range are changing dynamically, resulting in the appearance of new insect-pests. Pink stem borer (Sesamia inferens Walker) on rice, wheat and finger millet; cutworm (Mythimna separata Walker), swarming caterpillar (Spodoptera mauritia Boisduval) and black bugs on rice; aphid complex on wheat; sugarcane leafhopper (Pyrilla perpusilla Walker) on wheat, oats, sorghum and pearl millet; Helicoverpa armigera on wheat, sorghum and small millets are some examples of pests emerging in different parts of India. Outbreaks of brown plant hopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål) have recently occurred on rice in Odisha, Telangana and Kerala. Many insect-pests are also introduced into country or new regions of the country, either through natural dispersal as invasive species, or due to quarantine irregularities at the national or international levels. Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is an invasive pest in India, marked its first appearance during May 2018 on maize in Karnataka. FAW continues to spread to new areas, moving towards east and north India. It also infests rice, sorghum, sugarcane and pearl millet. Therefore, it is very important to keep track of new pests that are emerging or have emerged in recent times so that one can be prepared to deal with them in the future. This review presents an overview of newly emerging and invasive insect-pests of cereal crops like rice, wheat, barley, oat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet and small millets in the country in the recent past. Top Keywords Cereals, Emerging insects, Fall armyworm, Invasive species, Millets. Top |