Survey of Reduviids in Cotton Agro-Ecosystem of Tamil Nadu, India
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 12 (9): 1216-1223, 2012 ISSN 1990-9233 © IDOSI Publications, 2012 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.mejsr.2012.12.9.1695 Survey of Reduviids in Cotton Agro-Ecosystem of Tamil Nadu, India Kalidas Subramanian and Sahayaraj Kitherian Department of Zoology, St Xavier’s College, Crop Protection Research Centre, Palayamkottai 627 002, Tamil Nadu, India Abstracts: Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. is grown as a key fibre crop in the world. Natural enemy’s complex like reduviid predators in cotton agro-ecosystems is not available in the literature. A study was undertaken to explore the diversity of reduviid predators in cotton plantation of seven southern district of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India, from April 2009 to March 2010. The study revealed the presence of nine species belonging to six genera. They were observed and six major pests in all the districts were recorded. Among the nine reduviids, Rhynocoris fuscipes population was higher than that of other reduviid predators. Reduviid population has been depending up on with the prey population such as Dysdercus cingulatus, Aphis gossypii and Helicoverpa armigera. Key words: Cotton India Reduviid predators Tamil Nadu Survey INTRODUCTION Copidosoma floridanum [30] and Trichogramma chilonis [31,32], Bemisia tabaci [33] and predators like, spiders Reduviids are distributed in agroecosystems, semi- [34-38], pentatomidae [15, 39, 40] and coccinelids [41-43] arid zones, scrub jungles and borders of agro-ecosystems are worth recording. and they consume considerable numbers of preys [1-5]. The reduviid predators are found in cotton agro- Generalist reduviid predator is predominantly found in ecosystem and they are one of the important natural agro-ecosystems such as cotton [6-10], groundnut [4, 11), enemies on the cotton hemipteran and lepidopteran pests legumes and rice (12, 13), tea [14], cowpea [15], pegionpea [4, 8, 15, 16, 44]. The following reduviid species were [16-18], cabbage [19], millet [20], tropical and rain forest recorded in the agro-ecosystem, Rhynocoris marginatus, [21,22], forest [23-25], sun flower [26], cucumber [27] and Rhynocoris fuscipes, Rhynocoris longifrons, Catamiarus tobacco [28] world wide. brevipennis, Coranus sp, Irantha armipes, Rhynocoris Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae), is one kumarii and Sycanus pyrrhomelas [4, 16, 18], Rhynocoris of the most commercially important fibre crops in the ventralis and Peirontis modesia [45], Rhynocoris world. It is a perennial semi-shrub grown as an annual christophi, Rhynocoris ibericus, Rhynocoris iracundus, crop in both tropical and warm temperate regions. Cotton Rhinocoris punctiventris and Rhynocoris rubricoxa production is adversely affected by many insect pests, [46, 47] and Rhynocoris rubricus [44] in world wide. which have been traditionally controlled by large However, no information is available about the reduviid quantities of insecticides. Although chemical insecticides predator’s complex in cotton agro-ecosystems except provide an excellent control, resistance in insect pests of the record in Georgia and the south-eastern USA cotton have been reported against many pesticides. This (http://www.tifton.uga.edu/lewis/Proj.HTM). This study enhances the use of increased amount of insecticides [29]. was undertaken to record the reduviid predator’s Many natural enemies are found in the cotton agro- population in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, ecosystem such as parasitoids and predators. For Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai and Madurai in Tamil instance, the parasitoids of Cotesia marginiventris, Nadu, India, from April 2009 to March 2010. Corresponding Author: Sahayaraj Kitherian, Department of Zoology, St Xavier’s College, Crop Protection Research Centre, Palayamkottai 627 002, Tamil Nadu, India. Tel: + 91 462 4264376, Fax: +91 462 2561765. 1216 Middle-East J. Sci. Res., 12 (9): 1216-1223, 2012 Fig. 1: Map showing the reduviid predators collection cites of seven different districts of Tamil Nadu MATERIALS AND METHODS reduviids. Immature stages and adult predators were considered for this study. The reduviid and predominant Field survey was conducted from April 2009 - March pests prevailed during the study time were recorded 2010 in seven districts viz., Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, carried out from flowering and bolling stage (40 to 90 days Kanyakumari, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai and old plant) of cotton plant. Two to three field visits in a Madurai of Tamil Nadu (Fig. 1). Two or three cotton month were made in each district. All the observation cultivating villages are randomly selected from each were made either in the morning (7.00am to 9.00am) or in district for this study. In each village more than two the evening (4.30pm to 6.30pm). cotton fields of 1 ha 1 were considered for the reduviid Monthly records of abiotic factors such as maximum survey, variety of cotton at these districts such as MCU, and minimum temperature (°C) relative humidity (RH) (%), SVPR, Bunny, local variety and Uganda. Sweeping net wind velocity (Km/hr) and total rain fall (mm) which and hand picking methods were used to collect the prevailed during the periods of the field experiments were 1217 Middle-East J. Sci. Res., 12 (9): 1216-1223, 2012 collected from the District Meteorological Stations or Rhynocoris marginatus and S. variabilis were District Statistical Department. The insect population data collected from three districts (Table 2). The fluctuation recorded was subjected to correlation with mmonthly data of rainfall (Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi) and wind of maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, velocity (Kanyakumari) have no effects on the population wind velocity and their co-efficient (r2 ) is recorded in the of these reduviids (Table 3-9). However, the correlation text and tables. between minimum temperature and maximum temperature does not have any influence on the population of RESULTS AND DISCUSSION reduviid predator in Tirunelveli district. Similar relation was also observed in Kanyakumari district. In the Totally 131 individuals belonging to present study it was observed that in all the study Harpactorinae (Rhynocoris spp., Sphedanolestes sp. sites, the reduviid predators were high in June 2009 and Lophocephalus sp.), Peiratinae (Catamiarus sp. and followed by May 2009 and July 2009. Furthermore, results Ectomocoris sp.) and Reduviinae (Acanthaspis sp.) were also reveal that tibialorate reduviids were preferred to observed in the cotton agro-ecosystem of Tamil Nadu, those that dwelt in scrub jungles and semi-arid zones, India. R. fuscipes, R. marginatus and S. variabilis were whereas non- tibielorate reduviids dwelled in cotton found on the tender part of the cotton or under the leaves. agro-ecosystem. A. pedestris, C. brevipennis, R. longifrons and E. tibialis The survey conducted in cotton agro-ecosystem of were found underneath cotton litters. The number of seven districts of Tamil Nadu revealed that more number reduviid predators collected from the cotton agro- of reduviids were recorded in Tirunelveli (7 species) and ecosystem and their bordering ecosystem like scrub Kanyakumari (6 species) districts as reported earlier [3]. jungle and semi-arid zones of seven districts of Tamil This might be due to (i) multiple crops cultivation Nadu, India are presented in Table 1. It shows the recorded in and around the study site and (ii) preys of reduviid predators collected from different localities with different insects order were abundant in these study their dominant cotton pests. Among the seven districts, areas. Rhynocoris spp. were recorded from all the seven Kanyakumari district harboured more number of reduviids districts and R. fuscipes were distributed in all districts. of Rhynocoris spp. than A. pedestris and E. tibialis. Previously these reduviids have been recorded from Rhynocoris fuscipes (41) was observed in more pigeon pea [18], grams [48], chilli [49], rice [50] and also in number. For instance, in Kanyakumari district the cotton [10, 26, 51-54] which indicated that R. fuscipes is a R. fuscipes (18) population was high followed by potential reduviid predatory on more than 45 insect pests Thoothukudi district (9) and Tirunelveli district (7) from belonging to various insect order. Moreover, more than 39 April 2009 to March 2010. Rhynocoris longifrons (18) was Rhynocoris longifrons recorded from cotton (SVPR II, also collected in large numbers at Kanyakumari district. SVPR IV and local variety) in the bordering ecosystems. Table 1: Reduviid predators recorded in cotton agroe-cosystem and their border ecosystem of seven districts of Tamil Nadu from April 2009 – March 2010 Number of insects ------------------------- Dominated pests during the observation Locality collection Cotton Bordering Reduviid Predators Parentheses indicates varieties ecosystem ecosystem Acanthespis pedestris (Stål) Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts 11 15 Dysdercus cingulatus, (MCU 5) Odontotermes obesus Catamiarus brevipennis (Servile ) Tirunelveli district (MCU 5 and MCU 7) 3 6 Dysdercus cingulatus, Spodoptera litura, Mylabris pustulata. Ectomocoris tibialis (Distant) Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts (Bunny and SVPR II) 2 4 Dysdercus cingulatus, Spotoptera litura, Mylabris pustulata. Lophocephalus guerini (Lap.) Kanyakumari district (SVPR II) - 1 Dysdercus cingulatus, Spotoptera litura Rhynocoris marginatus (Fab.) Tirunelveli district, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar and Tuticorin districts 5 - Dysdercuscingulatus,