Black gram is an important pulse crop grown in India for food, fodder and as a mulch crop since it fixes enormous amount of nitrogen in the soil. The crop is very good source of nutrients with a huge amount of up to 26% of protein. Being highly nutritious this crop has been the target of several pests both in field and storage. Integrate Pest Management is a holistic sustainable approach for pest management that still supports the ecological treasure. It is ecofriendly and sustainable and cost saving too which combines cultural, physical, mechanical and biological approaches together. The cultural methods involve Fallowing, Growing Barrier crops, resistant varieties, Removal of crop residues, effective Water management practices and habitat manipulation. Biological control methods involving the usage of predators and parasitiods and use of plant-based insecticides. Mechanical methods like oil coating and coating with kaolinite clay sounds effective in the storage of black gram. Employing behavioral control methods is much effective in the case of black gram. Light traps and sticky traps sound good here. However, chemical control has to be followed at time necessary which could mainly focus on bio-pesticides and chemicals with green labels that safe to the non-target organisms and have minimal impact on environmental pollution.
Black gram, Protein source, Borers, Sucking pests, IPM
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