Record of arthropod pests on velvet bean, Mucuna pruriens var. utilis under Bangalore conditions

Abstract

A field study was undertaken to record the arthropod pests associated with the velvet bean, Mucuna pruriens var. utilis for two seasons during 2002 and 2003 at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore. Ten pests were observed attacking the crop, of which six damaged the foliage, three fed on tender shoots and one bored in to flower buds and tender pods. The spotted pod borer, Maruca testulalis was identified as major and economically important pest.