Importance of pod borer in chickpea in some chickpea growing regions of Ethiopia

Abstract

On-farm survey was conducted for four (1999/00 to 2002/03) successive cropping seasons to determine the damage caused by pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) on chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in major chickpea growing regions of Ethiopia. The range of pod damage by H. armigera was 0.7 - 12.9%, 1.9 - 16.9%, 1.6 - 19.7%, and 1.1 - 32.7% in 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02, and 2002/03, respectively. The extent of pod damage on chickpea by this insect pest was found to vary with altitude. A significant positive association and linear relationship was found between per cent pod damage and weight loss (using 100 seed weight) which indicated that proportion of
damaged pods in chickpea closely reflected loss of seed yields