Inventory of insect and arachnid fauna associated with broad bean (Vicia faba L.) in the Gangetic plain of Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Surveys for the insect and arachnid fauna associated with Broad bean in the Gangetic Plains of Varanasi, Sonebhadra and Deoria districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India were carried out during the rabi seasons of 2023-25. Insects belonging to seven orders were recorded, which were found to be members of either phytophagous orders, viz., Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Thysanoptera, or predatory orders, viz., Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Dictyoptera, or were pollinators from the orders viz., Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera. Amongst the pests, serpentine leaf miner (Liriomyza trifolii and Liriomyza sativae) and black bean aphid (Aphis craccivora) were observed as major pests, as their damage was≥10%. The Bihar hairy caterpillar, Spilosoma obliqua, is a polyphagous pest and sporadic in nature. The other pests like tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura), Coreid bug (Cletus sp.), Pentatomid bug (Nezara viridula), White spotted flea beetle (Monolepta signata), red spider mite (Tetranychus sp.), etc., were minor in nature to this winter legume vegetable. During the study, four predatory arthropod orders, viz., (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Dictyoptera and Araneae) and three pollinating insect orders (Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera) were also documented. For the first time, an inventory of the insects and arachnids related to this crop from this area is made in this publication.