Indian Journal of Entomology 83(2021) Online published Ref. No. e20163 DoI No.: 10.5958/0974-8172.2021.00011.0 HOST RANGE AND DISTRIBUTION OF PREDATORY STINK BUG ANDRALLUS SPINIDENS (F.) IN UTTARAKHAND BHOJENDRA*, RAVI PRAKASH MAURYA, LATIKA BRIJWAL, HIMANSHU PATWAL AND PARUL SUYAL Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263145, U.S. Nagar, Uttarakhand *Email: [email protected] (corresponding author) ABSTRACT This study is on the host range and geographical distribution of Andrallus spinidens (F.) in the agroecosystems of Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Predatory bug was surveyed in selected locations from all six districts in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand from March 2018 to February 2019. The bug occurs invariably in all the locations on wheat, soybean, maize, pigeonpea, gram, rice, beans and cowpea crops and associated with lepidopteran pests. The preferred preys were found to be the instars larvae of Mythimna separata and Helicoverpa armigera in wheat, Spodoptera litura in soybean and cabbage, Cnaphalocrosis medinalis in rice, Maruca vitrata and H. armigera in pigeonpea, S. litura and M. vitrata in beans, H. armigera in okra and gram, and Chilo partellus on maize. Key words: Andrallus spinidens, predator, prey, host range and distribution, agroecosystems, wheat, rice, pigeonpea, gram, beans, cowpea, lepidopterans Uttarakhand in the north western Himalaya (28º43’- agents is relatively insignificant in IPM (Guillion, 31º 27’N, 77º34’- 81º02’E has 86% area is under 2008; Ehlers, 2010, 2011). Important natural enemies hills (210- 7817 masl), and has diverse agroclimatic of insect and mite pests include predators, parasites, conditions, cultivating agricultural and horticultural and pathogens (De Bach, 1964). Among these. crops, with 13% area under agriculture (Anonymous, predatory insects of various orders are used (Waage 2013). The major constraints are the insect pest and Greathead, 1988; Metcalf and Luckmann, 1994). problems. In India crop losses due to insect pests amount Order Hemiptera includes a diverse group of predaceous to 15.7% and annual loss of about US$ 36 billion species in subfamily Asopinae (367 species within (Dhaliwal et al., 2015). Major crops in Uttarakhand are 63 genera) under the family Pentatomidae (Thomas, rice, wheat, millets, soybean, pulses and vegetable crops 1992, 1994; Grazia et al., 2015) and have unique mode which are attacked by large number of lepidopteran of predation (Ho et al., 2003), but only little has been pests viz., Helicoverpa armigera, Mythimna separata, emphasized (De Clercq, 2008). The Asopinae bug Plutella xylostella, Pieris brassicae, Spodoptera Andrallus spinidens (F.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) litura and Trichoplusia orichalcea. These pests are is free living generalist predator associated with responsible for serious damage to the crops (Gupta, agricultural environment where it feeds on lepidopteran 2006; Sharma et al., 2013; Patel and Tiwari, 2016; Suyal larvae (Shylesha and Sravika, 2018). Much is known of et al., 2018). Pesticides are used to maintain the crop A. spinidens morphology (Ghate et al., 2012; Javadi et production, but these harm the sustainable agriculture al., 2006), biology (Singh and Singh, 1989; Lam, 2000), and environment (Martenies and Perry, 2013; Pimental reproduction on live and frozen prey (Mohaghegh and and Burgess, 2014; Bourguet and Guillemaud, 2016). Maafi, 2007), predatory behaviour (Khodaverdi et al., There is a need for devising ecofriendly ways, and one 2012; Uematsu, 2006), functional response (Shanker of these is biological control (Carson, 1962; Wilson et et al., 2017), bionomics (Rao and Rao, 1979), mass al., 1991). rearing (Ebadi and Ghaninia, 2003), seasonal occurrence and diapause (Shintani et al., 2010), enzymatic Planned introduction of the various natural activity (Zibaee et al., 2011), and also distribution and enemies of crop pests such as predators, parasitoids abundance in rice field (Claver and Jaiswal, 2013). This and microorganisms as biological control is a versatile bug is widely distributed (Distant, 1902; Thomas, 1992, alternative in IPM (Anonymous, 1995; Ehlers, 2011; 1994), and in Uttarakhand, it is known as predator of Altieri, 1995). The rate of faith on biological control Zygograma bicolorata (Pandey et al., 2002) and S. litura 2 Indian Journal of Entomology 83(2021) Online published Ref. No. e20163 infesting pulses (Maurya and Sharma, 2014). Details of has wide distribution- occurs in India, Malaya, China, its predation, host range, distribution from Uttarakhand Turkey, Greece, Africa, Syria, Madagascar, Australia, is lacking. The diversity of any population depends on North and Central America (Distant, 1908; Thomas, its phenotypic and environmental flexibility (Dingle and 1992, 1994), West Malaysia (Manley, 1982), Tropical Hegmann, 1982; Tauber et al., 1986). Environmental and warm temperate zone of Japan (Tomokuni et al., condition also having complex interaction with in insect 1993), Southern Japan (Uematsu, 2006), Northern Iran population and change in geographical condition will (Najafi-Navaee et al., 1998; Mohaghegh and Maafi, also affect their morphology, feeding, reproduction, 2007). In India it is reported in Assam, Sikkim, Ranchi, predatory efficiency mortality, fecundity, prey selection Khassi hills, West Bengal, Karnataka (Distant, 1902) and longevity of insect (Gatehouse, 1989; Dempster and and Himachal Pradesh (Pawar, 1976). McLean, 1999; Sokolowski, 2001). The present study is on the host range and distribution of A. spinidens at Andralla spinidens is a predator of many lepidopteran various locations in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. larvae infesting Sesbania bispnidens (Cherian and Brahmachari, 1941); on Parnara mathias (Rao, 1965), MATERIALS AND METHODS H. armigera in lucerne and pigeon pea (Rajendra and Patel, 1971); Melanitis leda in rice (Manley, 1982); To study the distribution and host range of A. in soybean on Rivulia sp. (Singh and Singh, 1989); spinidens, several selected locations were visited and lepidopterans in rice (Najafi-Navaee et al., 1998; covering all six districts of Kumaon region of Mohaghegh and Maafi, 2007; Claver and Jaiswal, 2013) Uttarakhand, sufficiently away from each other and and on caterpillar of lepidopteron larvae (Uematsu, a representative of the major crop ecosystem of that 2006; Shintani et al., 2010). The present study provides location. Widespread surveys/ collection trips were done its host range and distribution in the Kumaon region. from March 2018 to February 2019, and observations on the prey and host plants were made (Oliver and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Beattie, 1996). The authors acknowledge the Science and RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Engineering Research Board, New Delhi for financial assistance and Department of Entomology and The observations given in Table 1 reveal that during Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, G.B. Pant March locations in Udham Singh Nagar, Champawat University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar and Nanital district, the predator was found preying for providing facilities. on army worm (M. separata) in wheat and gram pod borer (H. armigera) in gram. Locations in Udham Singh REFERENCES Nagar, Nainital and Almora district surveyed during April sowed its occurrence on M. separata) in wheat, S. Altieri M A. 1995. Agroecology: the science of sustainable agriculture. Boulder. West view Press. Part three: development, climate and litura in soybean and on C. partellus in maize. During rights 238: 12052-57. May, it was found preying on S. litura in soybean, okra Anonymous. 1995. Human Development Report 1995. NewYork/ and cabbage; and M. vitrata on gram. During June, it Oxford. was found on S. litura in beans and okra, M. vitrata in Anonymous. 2013. Uttarakhand at a glance. Directorate of economics cowpea and on H. armigera in okra. 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