1Crop Protection Division, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Asia Region, Patancheru, Hyderabad-502 324 (A P) (India).
2Department of Entomology, Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth, Krishi Nngar-444 104, Akola, (M.S.), India.
Forty desi (local) early maturity chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes were screened for resistance to gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner), under natural field conditions. ICC 506 exhibited 8% pod damage and harboured 10 larvae on 10 plants and was designated as least susceptible, whereas ICC 14665 showed 41.8% pod damage and 26 larvae on 10 plants and categorized as most susceptible. A low amount of acidity in the leaf exudates (21.1 and 41.9 meq./100 gm) of genotype (ICC 14665) was found to be associated with susceptibility to H. armigera, 60 and 75 days afer sowing. However, such a trend was not evident 90 days after sowing.
