PESTS OF GROUNDNUT :: Major Pests :: Pod Bug

9.  Pod bug: Elasmolomus sordidus (Lygaeidae: Hemiptera)

Damage symptoms: It is a serious pest at pod maturity stage, pod harvesting stage and harvested produce in the threshing floor. Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the pod in the field and produce at threshing floor. Freshly harvested pods have shrivelled kernels.  

Bionomics: The adult is dark brown, approximately 10 mm long and 2 mm wide.  In the field, the females lay their eggs singly in the soil or on groundnut haulms.  But in storage eggs are laid loosely among the groundnuts.  A female bug may lay upto 105 eggs.  The egg period is 4-5 days.  The first instar nymphs have a bright red abdomen, later instar become progressively darker.  Both nymphs and adults feed on kernels by piercing the pods with their rostrum.  The nymphal period is 23-29 days.  Since it is nocturnal in habit, it hides under weeds, cracks and crevices in soil and debris during day time.

Management                     

1. Set up light traps to attract and kill the bugs.
           
2. Keep the crop refuse in the field along irrigation channel to attract the bugs which can be killed by dusting.