Notes on the Bionomics of the Pink Stem Borer Sesamia inferens Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): An Upcoming Pest of Wheat in India

Abstract

Wheat cultivation is of great significance in North-western plains of India and the crop was hitherto considered as almost free from serious insect attack. Recently, Pink stem borer (PSB), Sesamia inferens Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has emerged as a new pest and is likely to pose serious threat to the successful cultivation of wheat in the North-western plains of India under largely adopted rice-wheat cropping system. Because of the paucity of data on the developmental biology of PSB on wheat crop regarding this emerging problem of insect damage, studies were initiated on biology of PSB under field as well as screenhouse conditions during seasons of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. This is the first report on biology of PSB on wheat which indicated that the pest was able to survive well/build up populations on wheat and able to complete its life cycle. It laid eggs either at the base of wheat plant near to soil level or on soil-surface or in the left over stubble of rice plants. Eggs hatched within 7.40±0.08 days and the mean larval duration was 68.52±1.55 days. In the course of development, it passed through 8 larval instars and pupation took place near or within the left over rice stubble. Pupal period was 36.05±0.36 days in male while 37.78±0.17 days in female. The survival of adult moths was 5.31±0.26 days in male while 6.61±0.26 days in female. The mean fecundity was 118.38±11.93 eggs and 89.15 per cent of eggs hatched. The total life cycle took 116.92±2.17 and 119.95±2.05 days in males and females, respectively.

Biology of pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens (Walker) on maize, Zea mays

“…The mean duration of first to sixth instar larvae (Table 1) 0, 3.4, 3.9, 4.6, 5.3, 6.6 and 13.0 days, respectively. The findings of Joshi (2005), Singh and Kular (2015) who observed that the larvae of S. inferens passed through eight instars to become a pupa also support present findings. The variation in present larval instars and their duration in present findings and findings of earlier workers may be due to the difference in host plant or due to meteorological variation at Hemant Sharma et al / J. Appl.…”

“…The findings of Lu and Tan (1981), Reddy (2001) and Aggarwal et al (2004) who reported larval period of S. inferens for 21.9 -28.3 days, 26.10 days and 22.9 days to 23.73 days, respectively also give partial support to the present findings of first generation. Findings of Joshi (2005), Nagarjuna et al (2015) and Singh and Kular (2015) who reported larval duration of 53-74 days, 23-39 days, 68.52 days, respectively also give partial support to the present findings of second generation. The variation in findings of present studies and that of earlier workers may be due to the difference in host plants, genotype or due to meteorological variation at the time of experimentation.…”

“…The findings of Aggarwal et al (2004) who reported pupal period of 7-9 days for male and 7-10 days for female with the pre-pupal peri-od of 1-2 days, respectively also give partial support to the present findings of first generation. However, Singh and Kular (2015) reported pupal duration of 36.05±0.36 days in male while 37.78±0.17 days in female, respectively. The variation in findings of Singh and Kular (2015) to that of present studies may be due to the difference in host plants and due to meteorological variation at the time of experimentation.…”

“…However, Singh and Kular (2015) reported pupal duration of 36.05±0.36 days in male while 37.78±0.17 days in female, respectively. The variation in findings of Singh and Kular (2015) to that of present studies may be due to the difference in host plants and due to meteorological variation at the time of experimentation. On average, pre-pupa measured 18.35±0.72 mm and 16.63±0.56 mm in length and 3.64±0.24 mm and 3.25±0.21 mm on HQPM 1 and HKI 1128, respectively (Table 4).…”

“…Amongst these, the most serious pests are the maize stem borer, Chilo partellus Swinhoe, the key pest throughout the country during rainy season, pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens (Walker), serious in peninsular India in post rainy season and two species of shoot fly, Atherigona soccata and Atherigona nuquii, serious in spring maize in Northern India, which cause economic yield losses (Siddiqui and Marwaha, 1993). Recently, S. inferens has emerged as a new pest and is likely to pose serious threat to the successful cultivation of maize in the north-western plains of India under largely adopted rice-wheat/maize cropping system (Singh and Kular, 2015). Yield loss is mainly due to dead heart formation in maize crop (Siddiqui and Marwaha, 1993).…”