Geocoris ochropterus Fieber (Hemiptera: Geocoridae) is a generalist predator that feeds on neonates and eggs of lepidopterans, thrips, aphids, and other soft-bodied insects. This predator naturally occurs in many crop ecosystems in India, and a rearing protocol for this species has already been developed. Recently, Thrips parvispinus (Karny) has emerged as a serious pest of chili (Capsicum annuum L.) in India, causing significant concern. During field surveys, G. ochropterus was frequently observed in association with chili plants infested by thrips, indicating its potential role as a natural enemy. To evaluate the predatory efficiency of G. ochropterus against T. parvispinus, functional response studies were conducted under laboratory conditions. Accordingly, laboratory experiments were conducted in which immature stages as well as adult males and females of G. ochropterus were exposed to different densities of T. parvispinus (5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50). All stages exhibited a type II functional response, with predation rates increasing with increasing developmental stage. At the highest prey density tested (50 thrips), fourth instar, fifth instar, male, and female G. ochropterus consumed an average of 15, 25.5, 20.4, and 28 adult thrips, respectively. Among all stages, females demonstrated the highest attack rate (2.230 ± 0.161) and the shortest handling time (0.015 ± 0.001), making them the most efficient stage, followed by the fifth instar, male, and fourth instar. These findings highlight the potential of G. ochropterus as an effective biological control agent for the management of T. parvispinus in chili.

The present study focused on the synthesis, validation and promotion of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy in maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation through farmer participation in Udaipur, Rajasthan, from 2022–24. The results showed significantly lower mean infestation of fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith)] in IPM (17%) compared to farmer practices (FP) (32.9%). Maydis leaf blight severity was 14.6% in IPM fields and 23.2% in FP, while banded leaf and sheath blight severity was 7.4% in IPM and 11.5% in FP demonstrating the effectiveness of IPM in reducing pest infestation over farmer practices. Natural enemy populations were recorded higher in IPM (7.2/50 plants) compared to FP (3.6/50 plants). The economic analysis demonstrated the superior profitability of the IPM approach, which recorded increase in grain yield (20%) and net return (51.73%) over FP. The benefit-cost ratio in IPM (2.39) further emphasised its profitability compared to FP (1.87). IPM field recorded >83 % reduction in chemical pesticides application over FP which facilitated the conservation of natural enemies resulting in 100% increase in predators population in IPM over FP. The study concludes that participatory IPM implementation in maize reduced pest infestation, enhanced yield and profitability with environmental sustainability.

Dortus primarius is a predatory mirid bug that has been recorded feeding on different insect pests. Lecanicillium spp., an entomopathogenic fungus (EPF), is used as a biocontrol agent against sucking pests. The combined use of D. primarius and novel fungus Lecanicillium fusisporum may have a significant effect in controlling sucking pests like Frankliniella schultzei. Before combined use, it is imperative to investigate the effect of L. fusisporum on D. primarius pertaining to its biology, predation potential and prey preference. This predator was able to complete development when L. fusisporum treated thrips were offered as food. The nymphal duration on treated thrips (21.11 f 0.24 days) was four days more than on untreated thrips. The longevity of male and female predatory bugs fed on treated thrips was less than that of untreated thrips. The hatching percentage of bugs consuming fungal-treated thrips (83.32 f 2.68) showed no difference compared to those fed on untreated thrips (86.47 f 3.01). Fecundity was found to be reduced in bugs that fed on fungal-treated thrips. However, no adverse effects were observed in the first filial (F1) generation derived from these predators. An adult bug consumed an average of 13.88 f 0.23 untreated thrips per day compared to 10.24 f 0.49 treated thrips. When offered both treated and untreated thrips, various instars and adults of D. primarius consistently showed a preference for the untreated thrips. The results indicated no such detrimental effect on the survival of the predatory bug and the F1 generation. Moreover, in the choice test, bugs preferred untreated thrips, indicating that in the presence of L. fusisporum in the vicinity, bugs can avoid feeding on infected prey.

Thrips parvispinus, a pest of quarantine importance is posing a serious threat to chili cultivation in India. Biological control could play an important role as many of insecticides used by farmers are not providing control. Blaptostethus pallescens an anthocorid bug has been found a potential predator of spider mites, thrips and Tuta absoluta. Therefore, we tested the potential of different stages of this predatory bug (4th, 5th instar and adult female) at varying density of T. parvispinus adults in the laboratory conditions. Both immature stages and adult female exhibited a type II functional response when exposed to different densities of T. parvispinus. 4th, 5th instar and adult female consumed an average of 17.3, 24.9 and 25.5 thrips at the highest thrips density (50). Highest attack rate (1.329) was observed in adult followed by 5th instar and 4th instar bug. Significant difference in attack rate was observed between 4th instar and adult and 5th instar and adult. Significant difference in handling time was observed between 4th and 5th instar. Our results highlight the potential of B. pallescens for management of T. parvispinus in chili.

Dortus primarius (Distant) a general predator of thrips, lepidopteran eggs, etc., has been observed feeding on South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), in the laboratory. The efficiency of this indigenous predator against T. absoluta needs to be investigated. Therefore, a series of experiments, viz. developmental time, functional response and population dynamics studies, were conducted to evaluate its potential. This predator could develop on both T. absoluta eggs and first-instar larvae. However, the survival rate of nymphs was higher (93.3

Neuropterida, one of the most ancestral groups of Holometabola, diverged from a coleopteran/strepsipteran ancestor some 276 million years ago. Neuropterans are soft-bodied; the compound eyes are well developed, but ocelli are usually absent. The antennae are long, multisegmented and sometimes display a club-shaped enlargement at the apex. Mouthparts are of the mandibulate biting type. The biology of several species of chrysopids and a few species of hemerobiid was studied in detail. However, species belonging to other families were seldom studied. Males and females can be easily distinguished by their genitalia. Females are generally bigger than males. Mating takes place on the second day of adult emergence. The oviposition starts usually on the fifth day of emergence or third day of mating, which, however, varies with the species. Effective storage techniques are very much warranted to improve production efficiency to meet seasonal demands during peak periods.

The egg parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii (Hymenoptera Trichogrammatidae), is an important biocontrol agent of lepidopteran pests and is generally mass-reared on the eggs of Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) (Lepidoptera Pyralidae). In this study, eggs from two factitious hosts, eri silkworm (ESW), Samia cynthia ricini Drury (Lepidoptera Saturniidae), and C. cephalonica, were used for mass rearing T. chilonis. The field efficacy of T. chilonis reared from the two different hosts was evaluated against sugarcane borers, Chilo infuscatellus Snellen (Lepidoptera Crambidae) and Chilo sacchariphagus indicus (Kapur) (Lepidoptera Crambidae). Weekly releases of T. chilonis reared from ESW and C. cephalonica eggs showed a similar parasitism rate and were effective in reducing crop damage by both sugarcane borers. We found no significant difference between the parasitism levels by T. chilonis reared from ESW (10.53%) and C. cephalonica (7.81%). A higher percentage of millable canes was obtained when parasitoids from either kind of eggs were released in a field compared to no release of parasitoids. There was no significant difference in the percentage of millable canes obtained from the fields with T. chilonis reared from ESW (77.99%) or C. cephalonica (70.23%). Producing T. chilonis from ESW eggs reduced rearing costs by 50% compared to using C. cephalonica eggs. Consequently, the production of T. chilonis using large-sized ESW eggs is more suitable for on-farm production and C. cephalonica could be used for commercial insectaries or research institutes.

Anthocorids, commonly called as minute pirate bugs or flower bugs, belong to the order Hemiptera, super family Cimicoidea, and family Anthocoridae. Globally, 500–600 species of anthocorids have been recorded, but anthocorid diversity has not been studied in several geographical regions. Majority of them are predaceous or zoo-phytophagous, and a few are exclusively phytophagous or myrmecophilous. They are important biocontrol agents as predators and both the adult and nymphal stages of a majority of species prey upon eggs and neonates of lepidopteran pests and all stages of sucking pests, viz., thrips, mites and mealybugs. Many species of anthocorid predators are recorded as important indigenous predators causing significant mortality of some of the notorious pests; however, they are not present in sufficient numbers to control/manage the pests. Hence, attempts have been made by biocontrol researchers and commercial units to mass rear and field release anthocorid predators, especially for the management of polyhouse pests. If this group of predators has to be documented, conserved or utilized effectively as biocontrol agents globally, extensive exploratory surveys have to be carried out in unexplored geographical regions and in-depth research should go into the ecological aspects of Anthocoridae. In this chapter, we attemptto compile information on the Anthocoridae family, with focus on the Indian species, and identify the research gaps as a prelude to future research.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in central India is witnessing increasing infestation of bollworm and sucking pests since 2016. In recent years, pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypeilla (Saunders) has emerged as a serious problem causing severe damage to cotton in several parts of our country. Farmers rely on chemical pesticides to control pest incidence that adversely affects naturally occurring predators and parasitoids in the crop ecosystems. The study was conducted by ICAR-National Research Centre for Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi during rainy (kharif) season 2018–21 to implement IPM validation trials at Wakhari village of Jalna district, Maharashtra with a view to study the economic viability and feasibility of adaptable IPM technology in farmer participatory mode. IPM implementation significantly reduced the number of insecticidal sprays (49.74%) and increased the cotton yield (28.49%) againstthe farmer’s practice (FP). Benefit to cost ratio was also higher in IPM fields (1.7, 2.4, 2.3 and 3.96) as compared to FP (1.3, 1.5, 1.74 and 2.97) during 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. It was evident that by adopting IPM strategy, pink bollworm in cotton can be successfully managed with minimum application of insecticides along with conservation of natural enemies and higher net return (42.6%) over farmer’s practice. The technology will be helpful in increasing the seed cotton yield and improve quality especially in terms of reduced pesticides contents, thereby improving the socio-economic status of cotton growers of the country.

Miridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha), or plant bugs, are one of the most species-rich and diverse families amongst insects, with more than 11,000 described species. In the Oriental region, mirids comprise eight subfamilies with more than 346 genera. Mirids exhibit a wide range of food preferences and behaviors. Some mirids are pests of agricultural crops; others are predators of soft-bodied insects, larvae and eggs. Some mirid species are important as naturally occurring predators of crop pests or have been introduced and used successfully in biocontrol of pest species. In European countries, many of the dicyphine bugs are being mass reared on a large scale. In India, attempts have been made to rear predatory mirids and have also been evaluated against many insect species. Geocorids (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea), commonly known as big-eyed bugs, occur naturally worldwide having 300 spp. in 35 genera of five subfamilies. Geocoris is the largest genus with ca. 150 spp. From India, so far ten species of Geocoris have been reported from West Bengal and 23 species from rest of India. They feed on eggs, neonates, nymphs, aphids, thrips and mites. Life history traits of various Geocoris spp. have been studied, viz., G. atricolor, G. pallens, G. lubra, G. punctipes and G. ochropterus. Rearing protocol of G. ochropterus, a common species in the Indian ecosystem, has been developed. In conservation biocontrol, a key issue is to identify the most effective natural enemies, the mechanisms responsible for their increased persistence and higher effectiveness within the ecosystem.

Tuta absoluta (L.) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a major pest of solanaceous plant species, causes serious losses in the agriculture sector around the globe. For better pest management, entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana and Purpureocillium lilacinum, play an efficient role in suppressing the pest population. The present study was carried out to analyse the effects post fungal infections through proteome profiling using an Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer. A total of 2,201 proteins were identified from the fourth instar larvae of T. absoluta, of which 442 and 423 proteins were significantly dysregulated upon infection with P. lilacinum and B. bassiana respectively. The potential proteins related to immune systems as well as detoxification processes showed significant alterations after post fungal infection. Studies on T. absoluta proteomics and genomics as well as the consequences of entomopathogenic fungal infection on the immune response of this insect could provide an initial framework for exploring more fungus-host interactions for the development of better strategies for integrated pest management.

Background Dortus primarius (Distant) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a general predator reported from the oriental region. This bug is naturally found in many crop ecosystems where it feeds on thrips, aphids, insect eggs and other soft-bodied insects. Although, the rearing protocol of this predatory mirid has been developed, the efficiency of this predator as a biocontrol agent is limited and needs to be investigated. The thrips, Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a polyphagous pest that attacks many crops in polyhouse in India. Therefore, in the present study, biology and functional response of this predator to different densities of F. schultzei larvae in the laboratory was investigated. Results The mirid predator was able to develop from egg to adulthood on tomato infested plant with F. schultzei larvae in 23–24 days with 15 and 11.76% mortality of 4th and 5th instar nymphs, respectively. Both 5th instar and female adults exhibited a type III functional response. At highest prey density (40) both 5th instar and female adults consumed 21.6 and 28.6 thrips larvae per day, respectively. Functional response parameters, viz. attack rate, handling time, a/ T h and T/ T h showed the potency of this predator against F. schultzei . Conclusion Based on the high fecundity, predation rate and density dependent behaviour, it is predicted that D. primarius might be an efficient and potential predator. However, further research is needed to assess its release rate and other ecological studies in the field situation.

Insects are a highly diverse group of organisms and their rich diversity is essential for ecosystem functioning. Insects have more influence on agriculture and most agricultural pests are invasive species that have been introduced into a new ecosystem. These invasive species have the capacity to compete, establish and displace the native species and therefore can be a threat to biodiversity. Introduction of such invasive species has increased with the increase in trade across the globe. Therefore, it is pertinent to strengthen the International cooperation and coordination between the affected countries and the country of native origin to identify the threat for the execution of different mitigation strategies. International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC), Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and the Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency facilitate international collaboration and play a vital role in managing invasions by alien pests. In India, Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (DPPQ&S), ICAR-NBPGR, ICAR-NBAIR and other crop-specific institutes of ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India are the bodies engaged in monitoring of invasive insects/invasive alien species. Thus, international collaboration plays a key role in research on the prevention of future invasions, the development of more effective surveillance and eradication methods and the implementation of classical biological control.

The vast range of fecundities found among parasitoids have fascinated biologists to look for reproductive strategies of parasitoids. In the past century or so, after it was reported that insects have great reproductive diversity, today we find the enormous work that documents such events in parasitoids, which takes us closer to understanding why such diversity exists in different parasitoids. Our understanding shows that parasitoids demonstrate significant inter- and intra-specific differences in their reproductive and related behaviour. The change in reproductive trait has been proposed for many species. For parasitoids, information of discerning aspects acting on their reproductive biology, including fecundities and their behaviour in field as a result of climate change, parthenogenesis, role of microbial symbionts, such as Wolbachia, and host of other symbionts are essential for a full indulgence of their reproductive strategy. The evidence that resource trade-offs underlie several key inter-trait correlations and that reproductive and feeding strategies are closely integrated at both physiological and behavioural levels. The co-evolution of host-parasitoid population dynamics and parasitoid community ecology are key for the progress of a prophetic science in biological control. This chapter deals with different aspects of reproductive strategies in parasitoids.

Dortus primarius Distant (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a predatory mirid bug and found to feed on soft bodied insects in the field. Rearing protocol has been developed for this predatory bug. Abiotic factors like temperature influences the development, survival, fitness, population dynamics and reproduction of insects. The objective of this study was to determine biological and life table parameters of D. primarius at five temperatures (15 °C; 20 °C; 25 °C; 30 °C and 35 °C) with relative humidity of 60 ± 5% and photoperiod of 12 h. Maximum hatching (93.86 and 76%) and nymphal survival (83.28 and 71.66%) was observed at 25 and 30 °C, respectively. Total developmental period was higher at lower temperatures (15 and 20 °C). The Kaplan–Meier’s survival curves showed significant differences in male and in female according to the temperature and an increase in temperature resulted in a decrease in survival time. Life table parameters exhibited higher net reproductive rate (R0), precise intrinsic rate of increase (rm), finite rate of increase (λ) and hypothetical F2 females at 25 °C which makes it ideal temperature for rearing. The data generated through studies on biology and fertility will ensure continuous availability of a laboratory culture of this bug which can be used against different insect pests.

Dr RS Paroda has been a champion for the cause of genetic resources (GR) management for over five decades. His passion for the subject has led to massive reforms in infrastructure, capacity building and projects/programs in the arena of agrobiodiversity management and use, which has a direct bearing in increasing agricultural productivity leading to food and nutrional security. The Indian Society for Plant Genetic Resources (ISPGR) eetablished in 1987, was his brainchild and as the Founder (1987-88) as well as current (2022-24) President of the society, he has immensely contrubuted in its overall growth and visibility. This paper gives a brief overview on the contributions of Dr RS Paroda in the area of GR management.