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Field observations were carried out between 2002 and 2005 on bio-ecology of white grubs infesting teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) seedlings at Ramdongari Forest Nursery, Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra, Nagpur in central India. The study collected the data required for an integrated pest management strategy against the white grubs. The species damaging teak seedlings were Holotrichia rustica (Burmeister) and H. mucida Gyllenhal. The beetles (adults) of both these species began to emerge just after the pre-monsoon showers and when the relative humidity had risen rapidly over several days, but before the first monsoon rains. While the adults fed and mated on naturally growing bushes of Ziziphus jujuba, Z. mauritiana, Z. xylopyra, Acacia leucophloea and A. catechu immediately after the emergence from the teak beds in the nursery, the immature stages (grubs) of both species fed on roots of the teak seedling, leading to plant death. This is the first report of (i) damage caused to teak seedlings by grubs of H. rustica and H. mucida, and (ii) of Z. jujuba and Z. mauritiana being hosts for the beetles of H. mucida and H. rustica. It is also the first detailed report on the field bio-ecology of the H. rustica and H. mucida as major pests of teak. White grubs are among the toughest-to-manage pests of economic importance and information presented here on the pest incidence and damage of H. rustica and H. mucida is important to researchers and nursery field managers for the management of these pests on teak.

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The objective of this work was to quantify the reduction of soybean grain yield caused by Tetranychus urticae damage, and to propose an economic injury level (EIL) for this pest in the crop. The experimental design was set up in randomized complete blocks, with four replicates and a 4x2 factorial arrangement with four levels of mite infestation, with or without mite control. Chlorotic symptoms were evaluated using a damage scale of 1 to 4. Soybean grain yield, number of pods, number of grains, and 1,000-grain weight were quantified for each segment of plant canopy (lower, middle, and upper) and for the whole plants. The chlorophyll content in the leaves was evaluated using the SPAD index. The population density of one two-spotted spider mite per cm2 of leaf area caused the following reductions: one pod per plant, two grains per plant, 0.7 g of 1,000-grain weight, and 0.35 g of grain yield per plant or 42 kg ha-1. Based on the equation y = 4,369 - 41.99x, the EIL of one two-spotted spider mite per cm2 is determined by considering a control cost of US$ 20.00 ha-1 and a soybean crop value of US$ 350.00 Mg-1. As to chlorotic symptoms, the EIL is set between damage scores 1 (no apparent mite damage) and 2 (yellow mottling beginning to appear).