Introduction Global warming and climate change are the major concerns for crop production and food security (IPCC, 2007). Climate change will exercise a major influence on diversity

and abundance of arthropods (Sharma, 2014). In recent years, variability in climatic conditions has resulted in increased losses due to pod borers, Helicoverpa armigera,

Maruca vitrata and Spodoptera exigua, pod sucking bug Clavigralla spp. and scale insects Ceroplastodes cajani (Plate 1). Some of the emerging pest problems as a result

of climate change in chickpea and pigeonpea have been discussed below.

For more information write to: Dr HC Sharma, Principal Scientist-Entomology, ICRISAT. Email: h.sharma@cgiar.org

References

IPCC. 2007. Summary for Policymakers. In: Parry, ML, Canziani, OF, Palutikof,

JP, Van der Linden, PJ & Hanson, CE, eds. Climate Change 2007: Impacts,

Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth

Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, pp. 7-22.

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Sharma HC. 2014. Climate change effects on insects: Implications for Crop

Protection and Food Security. Journal of Crop Improvement 28: 229-259.

Conclusions

• Distribution and severity of insect-pests in grain legumes will be influenced

by global warming and climate change.

• Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua; scale insect, Ceroplastodes cajani and

aphid, Aphis craccivora are likely to emerge as major pests of chickpea and

pigeonpea.

• Understanding how climate change will affect pest incidence, crop losses

and pest management will be crucial for sustainable crop production.

July 2014 ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium

Mealy bug

Mealy bugs have emerged as a major pest of

pigeonpea and chickpea under heat and drought stress

(Plate 3). Papaya mealy bug, Paracoccus marginatus

is an invasive pest, and has been found to infest

several crops. Ceroplastodes cajani has earlier been

reported to infest pigeonpea. Mealy bugs are likely to

emerge as a major threat to crop production in future.

Black bean aphid, Aphis craccivora

Aphis craccivora infests several plant species. It becomes a serious pest of

grain legumes under warm and dry conditions. It also transmits several viral

diseases in grain legumes (Plate 6).

White fly, Bemisia

tabaci

Tobacco whitefly, Bemisia

tabaci has emerged as a

serious constraint to crop

production. Its incidence

was recently observed on

chickpea (Plate 5), which

was not reported earlier as a

host plant of this insect. The

white flies transmit several

viral diseases, which are

difficult to control.

Leaf miner

A new species of lepidopteran leaf miner

has recently been observed infesting

pigeonpea under high temperature

(>40°C) in OTC at ICRISAT (Plate 4).

This species multiplies at a faster rate

under high temperature. It is likely to

emerge as a major pest under global

warming and climate change.

Plate 2. Beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua infestation on chickpea.

Mealy bug, Ceroplastodes cajani

damage in pigeonpea.

Plate 5. White fly, Bemisia tabaci on chickpea.

Plate 4. Leaf miner, damage in pigeonpea.

Helicoverpa armigera Maruca vitrata Melanagromyza obtusa Clavigralla sp. Lampides boeticus Helicoverpa armigera Liriomyza cicerina Aphis craccivora

Climate Change Effects on Pest Problems on Grain Legumes

HC Sharma, RS Munghate, M Pathania, T Nagaraja and SP Sharma

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502 324, Telangana, India.

Mealy bug infested chickpea.

Mealy bug damage in

pigeonpea in OTC.

Mealy bug colony on

pigeonpea leaves.

Beet armyworm,

Spodoptera exigua

Spodoptera exigua

commonly called as beet

armyworm is a

cosmopolitan and

polyphagous pest (Plate

2). The severity of S.

exigua has increased with

the spread of chickpea in

southern India, and its

outbreaks are triggered by

heavy rains during Oct -

Nov.

Plate 3. Mealy bug infestation in chickpea and pigeonpea.

Plate 6. Black bean aphid, Aphis craccivora infestation on chickpea and pigeonpea.

Exelastis atmosa Mylabris sp.

Plate 1. Major insect pests of grain legumes.