Managing Bengal gram Pod borer - The IPM way

Bengalgram is an important rabi crop in rainfed black soils of Dharwad district. Pod borer is one of the major pests of chickpea that causes severe economic damage to the crop. Farmers of Marewada village of Dharwad taluk have been growing bengalgram for many years. In this area pod borer has become a major menace. The small farm holders cannot afford expensive chemical pesticides nor do they have knowledge about other methods of pest management.

The team of scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dharwad analyzed this constraint and organized several trainings on pod borer control with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. Smt. Laxmavva N. Bandiwad among the few farmers/ farmwomen who adopted IPM practices in to use. He has sown sorghum as sprinkled crop in bengalgram and installed 6 bird perches in a acre to attract the birds, installed 2 pheromone traps to monitor the pod borer population. He practiced first spray with the ovicidal insecticide i.e., methomyl @ 0.60g/l at flowering stage and after 15 days with bio-pesticide, HaNPV spray @ 100 LE per acre and last spray with NSKE 5%. This Simple practice resulted in a dramatic reduction in pod borer infestation. The infestation was brought down to just 5.2% in the IPM plots, while it was around 10.2% in check plots. Now, he is able to appreciate that the role of bird perches, growing of sorghum as a sprinkle crop and spraying of botanicals and bio-pesticides for reduction in pod borer infestation. As a result, Smt. Laxmavva N. Bandiwad could harvest 970 Kg Chickpea in IPM plot compared to 720 kg in non IPM plot. There was 24% benefit over non - IPM plot, which is normally grown by the farmers of this area. Now, Smt. Laxmavva N. Bandiwad is a happy woman, her Success has enthused the many farmers in Kadadalli and neighboring villages for adoption of IPM practices in bengalgram for management of pod borer.