Agricultural Science Digest

Field survey carried out for three years from 1999 to 2001, in Bijapur, Bagalkot and Belgaum districts of Karnataka where extensive cultivation of grape was followed, revealed that, a total of 22 insect pests are found to attack grapevine. Out of these, two insects viz., Rea beetle, Sceledonta Strigicollis Mots. and Mealy bug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) were recorded as major psets on this crop with an average of 7.2 adult flea beetles and 40.3 mealy bug colonies per vine. Whereas three insects viz., Stem girdler, Sthenias grisatorFab., Stem borer, Coelosterna scabrator (F.) and Leaf worm, Spodoptera litura Fab. were recorded as moderate pests with 35.4, 41.5 and 48.6 per cent infestation respectively. As many as thirteen insect pests were recorded as minor pests on this crop, while four were recorded as negligible pests with infestation ranging from 11 to 30 and less than 10 per cent respectively.