**4. Integrated pest management in pulses**

#### **4.1 Important pests**

Pod borer (*Helicoverpa armigera*), spotted pod borer (*Maruca vitrata*), spiny pod borer (*Etiella zinckenella*), blue butterfly (*Lampides boeticus*), grass blue butterfly (*Euchrysops cnejus*), bihar hairy caterpillar (*Spilosoma obliqua*), stem fly (*Ophiomyia phaseoli*), pod weevil (*Apionam plum*), bean Aphid (*Aphis craccivora*), leaf hopper (*Empoasca kerri*), podfly (*Melanagromyza obtuse),* lab bug(*Coptosoma cribraria*), whitefly (*Bemisia tabaci*), thrips (*Megalurothrips usitatus*), blister beetle (*Mylabris spp*), stem fly (*Melanagromyza sojae*), tobacco caterpillar (*Spodoptera litura*), green semiloopers (*Chrysodeixis acuta, Gesonia gemma and Diachrysia orichalcea*), girdle beetle (*Obereopsis brevis*), pod borer (*Helicoverpa armigera*), white fly (*B. tabaci*).

#### **4.2 IPM approaches**

Plant spacing, sowing time, intercropping, and soil activities can all be adjusted to reduce *H. armigera* harm Chickpea germplasm with low to high insect pest resistance has been established. Deep ploughing of fields in the summer and leaving the land for solarization are widespread cultural practices in black gram and green gram pre-sowing [23]. Avoiding waterlogging, judicious fertiliser usage, and other common cultural methods for stem fly, pod weevil, pod fly, blister beetle, white grub and grass butterfly management. Installing light traps in and around fields to minimise crop stress [24], enhancing parasitic activity by avoiding chemical spray collecting and destroying eggs and early-stage larvae, handpicking older, gregarious caterpillars and cocoons during early stages and using yellow/blue pan water/sticky traps @ 4–5 traps/acre [25] light traps @ 1/acre, and pheromone traps @ 4–5/acre for monitoring adult moths' activity. Cleaning of infected stubbles followed by deep summer ploughing, optimal fertiliser application, timely sowing, proper seedbed conditions and depth of sowing, optimum seeding rate and plant population, regular scouting, rogueing, and destruction of infected crop/plant parts, elimination of collateral/alternate and reservoir hosts, crop rotation and intercropping, cultivation of soybean only during the rainy season, and agronomic practices to avoid pests are all common cultural practices in soybean [26]. Collecting and eliminating girdle beetle-infested plant parts, egg masses, and gregariously feeding hairy caterpillar and tobacco caterpillar larvae should be prioritised. Ten to twelve bird perches will be installed on each acre. Pheromone traps should be used to track the spread of *S. litura* and *Helicoverpa armigera*, as well as Castor as a tobacco caterpillar trap crop and Dhaincha as a girdle beetle trap crop. It is recommended to intercrop soybean with asafoetida (early maturing variety), maize, or sorghum in a 4-row soybean with 2-row intercrop sequence. Increased biodiversity will aid natural biocontrol fauna such as coccinellid beetles, *Chrysoperla*, and others. In girdle beetle and semilooper endemic areas, intercropping with maize or sorghum should be avoided. *Campoletis chlorideae*, an ichneumonid, is the most prominent chickpea larval parasitoid of *Helicoverpa armigera* Six parasitoid species have been identified in Helicoverpa pupae collected in the field and potential biocontrol agents for *B. pisorum* have been reported *Chrysopa spp*., *Chrysoperla spp*., *Nabis spp*., *Geocoris spp*., *Orius spp*., *Polistes spp*., and species belonging to the Pentatomidae, Reduviidae, Coccinellidae, Carabidae, Formicidae, and Araneidae, respectively, are the most prevalent predators of insect pests The entomopathogenic fungus *Nomuraea* 

#### *Holistic Pest Management Strategies in Tropical Plant Species DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105104*

*rileyi*caused 90–100% larval mortality, while *Beauveria bassiana* Balsamo caused only 6% chickpea damage compared to 16.33% damage in untreated control plots Spraying *Bacillus thuringiensis* (Bt) (Berliner) formulations later in the day yields greater control than spraying earlier in the day. Vegetable oils, neem oil, and karanj oil are excellent in protecting pulses from bruchid damage. For the management of *Helicoverpa armigera*, strategies for deploying Bt genes in transgenic chickpea have been devised. In order to deal with the Bihar hairy caterpillar, preventing preharvest infestation by irrigating once to forestall a prolonged mid-season drought. Dig 1-inch-deep holes between the fields and dust them to kill the larvae. To control the larvae, spray Quinalphos 25% EC 600 ml diluted in (black gram) or Phenthoate 50% EC diluted in (blackgram & greengram). Rates of sowing and seeding the ideal seed rate should be used depending on seed size. After every 15 rows, a one-row break should be provided to enable for spraying in a standing crop. Conservation of spiders, coccinellid beetles, tachinid fly, praying mantids, dragon fly, damsel fly, *Chrysoperla*, and meadow grasshoppers by limiting the use of wide-spectrum pesticides and releasing *Telenomus remus* at a rate of 50000/ha against *S. litura*. Spraying *B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki*, Serotype H-39, 3b, Strain Z-52 at a rate of for semilooper complex management (*Chrysodeixis acuta*, *Gessonia gemma*, *Diachrysia orichalcea* and *defoliators*). *Trichogramma chilonis*, *Tetrastichus*, and *Telenomus* are egg parasitoids, while *Ichneumon promissorius*, *Carcelia sp*, and *Diglyphus isaea* are larva parasitoids of *Spodoptera* and *Helicoverpa*; *Xanthopimpla flavolineata* is both a larval and a pupa parasitoid of an adult wasp; *Encarsia formosa*, *Eretmocerus sp*. Removal and destruction of damaged plant parts, as well as two applications of monocrotophos 36 WSC at one and three weeks of crop age. Need-based insecticides viz., Monocrotophos 36% SL, Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC, Lufenuron 5.4% EC, Thiodicarb 75% WP (*Helicoverpa* spp.) & (*Maruca* spp.), Novaluron 05.25% + Indoxacarb 04.50% SC, Azadirachtin 0.03% (300 PPM) for pod Borer, Flubendiamide 39.35% w/w SC for fruit borer, Flubendamide 20% WGfor *S. litura*, *Maruca spp*, Pod borer, Quinalphos 25% EC for Bihar hairy Caterpillar, *Beauveria bassiana* 1.0% WP for gram pod borer (*Helicoverpa armigera*), *Metarhizium anisopliae* 1.15% WP for *Heliothis armigera*, NPV OF *Helicoverpa armigera* 2.0% AS Strain for pod borer (*Helicoverpa armigera*), Bromadiolone 0.005% RB, Indian house rat, field Rat, Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC for green semi looper, stem fly, girdle beetle [27, 28]. Bioefficacy of flubendiamide 24% w/v + thiacloprid 24% SC w/v against shoot and fruit borer and its sucking pests and its safety to non-target organisms in brinjal was also proved.
