Insect Pests Infestation During Field and Storage of Fruits and Vegetables

This is an overview of insect pests associated with tropical, subtropical and temperate fruits and vegetables grown in different agro-climatic zones of India. India is known as a fruit basket of world as well as second highest in vegetable production. Fruits and vegetables are attacked by insect pests of Heteroptera, Homoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. Homopterans are sucking pests that result in decreasing plant vigour and also transmitting more than 260 plant viruses. Bunchy top of banana is transmitted by Pentalonia nigronervosa, potato leaf curl virus by Myzus persicae, papaya ring spot and chilli leaf curl by Bemisia tabaci. Bacterial diseases of plants; Erwinia amylovora is transmitted by wasps and bees, E. carotovora by onion maggot fly and E. tracheiphila by spotted and stripped cucumber beetles. Fruit flies, Bactrocera spp. are the major threats to mango, guava, papaya, peach, pear and cucurbits in India. Major insect pests of fruits are mango hoppers; Idioscopus sp., Amritodus atkinsonii, banana rhizome weevil; Cosmopolites sordidus, papaya mealy bug; Paracoccus marginatus, citrus butterfly; Papilio demoleus, citrus psylla; Diaphorina citri, mealy bug; Ferrisia virgata, stem girdler; Sthenias grisator, San Jose scale; Quadraspidiotus perniciosus, codling moth; Cydia pomonella, and woolly aphid; Eriosoma lanigerum. Other than these, Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera litura, Plutella xylostella, Scirtothrips dorsalis, Phthorimaea operculella, Tuta absoluta, B. tabaci, Thrips tabaci and Tetranychus urticae are major threat in vegetables production causing enormous losses. Fruitflies, stone weevil, codling moth, potato tuber moth, sweet potato weevil, almond moth, redflour beetle and khapra beetle are mainly affecting produce in storage.