The Incidence of Pod Fly, Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) (Diptera : Agromyzidae) in Major Pigeonpea Growing Areas of Southern Karnataka and its Biology on Pigeonpea, Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.

Pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) is one among the economically important pests on pigeonpea and is responsible for major yield losses. Field survey carried out in different pigeonpea fields during 2020-21 revealed that, the severity of pod fly infestation varied across the locations as well as on different varieties of pigeonpea. Of different locations surveyed around Bengaluru for pod fly infestation, the highest pod damage (92%) and grain damage (65.22%) was recorded from the pigeonpea fields at Honnayyanapalya village, Magadi taluk, Ramanagara district, while minimum pod damage (18%) and grain damage (7.45%) were recorded from pods sampled from Basavapura village of Gowribidanur taluk, Chikkaballapur district. From survey studies, it was also found that, pigeonpea variety BRG 2 was highly susceptible to pod fly infestation and recorded the highest mean pod damage (42.57%) and grain damage (25.13%) followed by local varieties grown by the farmers. Studies on the biology of pod fly revealed that, the incubation period ranged from 2 to 4 days with an average of 2.75 ± 0.14 days. There were three maggot stages with a total mean duration of 9.5 days. The mean pupal duration was 9.15 ± 0.36 days. The average female and male fly longevity were 5.9 ± 0.32 and 3.45 ± 0.25 days, respectively. The lifecycle of adults was completed in 27.89 ± 0.64 days in case of females and 25.44 ± 0.51 days in case of males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]