Sustainable management of chickpea pod borer. A review

The pod borer [Helicoverpa armigera Hubner
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)] is responsible for causing up to 90%
damage in chickpea due to its regular occurrence from the vegetative
growth to the pod formation stage. In order to manage this
problem, growers are tempted to increase the amounts of pesticides,
but indiscriminate or injudicious use of pesticides has resulted
in residues in the food chain, pesticide resistance, and pest
resurgence, in addition to causing harm to non-targeted beneficial
organisms and the environment. Here, we reviewed the sustainable
approaches to reduce the incidence of pod borer and achieve
sustainability in chickpea production systems through the adoption
of an integrated approach involving host plant resistance,
good agronomic practices, and judicious use of chemical and
biological methods. We found that the following major points
have been reported to reduce the survival and damage of pod
borer: (1) use of resistant varieties (the cheapest and the best
method of pod borer management); (2) implementing a number
of good agronomic practices, such as early sowing with optimum
planting density and fertilizer levels, including inter/trap crops
(coriander, mustard, linseed, sunflower, sorghum, and marigold)
and installing animated bird perches and T-perches at 2 m distance
of predatory zones; and (3) monitoring pod borer through
pheromone traps (which is also necessary to understand the major
factors influencing pest population and to make the pest control
program more effective). Integrating all of these approaches
with biological control has shown some encouraging results for
sustainable pod borer management and has resulted in high
chickpea yields. This review highlights examples of successful
management approaches from past studies that were implemented
in experimental and farmers’ fields. These approaches can be
explored as reproducible practices for managing the pest in locations
with similar H. armigera concerns. We conclude that an
integrated approach is most effective for long-term sustainable
management programs.