Chapter I 1 INTRODUCTION Following cereals as an essential part of the everyday diet of the typical man

is the consumption of pulses. Due to the high concentration of proteins that they contain, they are
sometimes referred to as "poor man's meat." Pulses are the chief source of vegetable protein in the
human diet. The deficiency of protein in the human diet often leads to Protein-Energy-Malnutrition
(PEM), causing various forms of anemia. In addition to the nutritional significance of pulses in the human
diet, food legumes serve an important function in fixing atmospheric nitrogen to N-compounds to the
tune of 72 to 350 kg per hectare per year and providing soil cover, which helps to maintain soil health.
Urdbean, Vigna mungo (L) Hepper, is a member of the fabaceae family. It is also known as blackgram,
mash, mashkalai, black mapte, etc. Due to its nutritional and industrial importance, it ranks as the fourth
most significant short-duration pulse crop in India. Blackgram is native to the Indian subcontinent (Nene,
2006). About 70 per cent of the world's blackgram production comes from India. India is the world's top
producer and user of blackgram. In India during 2020–21, blackgram was cultivated over an area of
41.43 lakh ha and recorded a production of 22.30 lakh tonnes at a productivity level of 538 kg/ha
(Anonymous, 2021). Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,
Rajasthan, and Jharkhand are major black gram producing states in India. In Uttar Pradesh during 2020–
21, blackgram was cultivated over an area of 5.54 lakh ha and recorded a production of 3.17 lakh tonnes
at a productivity level of 573 kg/ha (Anonymous, 2021). Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal are the major blackgram growing states in India. In addition to
growing as a solitary crop, black gram is cultivated as a mixed crop, catch crop, and sequential crop
under residual moisture conditions after the harvest of rice and before and after the harvest of other
summer crops on semi-irrigated and dry land. Per 100gm of split dal, blackgram contains 24% protein,
59.60% carbohydrate, 154mg calcium, 9.1 mg iron, and 38mg β- carotene (Bakr et al., 2004). Urd differs
from other pulses in its peculiarity of attaining a mucilaginous, pasty character when soaked in water. In
the south, it is Introduction [2] consumed in a variety of ways across the country from north to south in
the preparation of different regular and popular dishes like vada, dosa, idli, halwa, and imarti in
combination with other food grains. It is also used as a nutritive fodder for milch cattle. Despite the
importance of the crop, there is a large disparity between its potential and actual yield on a national
scale. This is primarily due to infestation by a variety of sucking and lepidopterous insect pests, which
causes blistering and cupping of the leaves and a loss of plant vitality in the early stages of its growth. In
blackgram, the avoidable loss in yield due to insect pests was recorded to be 34.7 per cent (Saxena,
1983). According to Pandey et al. (1991), black gram output was reduced to roughly 2.75
quintal/hectare, or about 33.51 per cent. Insect pests cause a 30% yearly production loss in urdbean and
mungbean, and annually between 2.5 and 3 million tons of pulses are lost owing to pest issues (Gailce et
al., 2015). According to Nayar et al. (1976), the crop is subject to damage by twenty different types of
insect pests. At one point during the development of black gram, there were as many as 30 distinct
insect groups that made an appearance in quick succession (Dhuri and Singh, 1983). Around 18 different
kinds of insect pests have been identified as causing harm to blackgram crops in India (Singh and Singh,
1977). Insect pests that cause major damage to plants include jassids, whiteflies, aphids, spotted pod
borer, and gram pod borer, among others. Chhabra and Kooner (1981) claim that whitefly is a very
damaging insect that also serves as a vector for yellow mosaic virus, which can result in yield losses of 30
to 70 percent in India (Marimuthu et al., 1981). Mungbean, urdbean, and soybean are the most severely
affected leguminous crops by whitefly and YMV disease. During both the Kharif and Rabi seasons, the
yellow mosaic disease of black gram is the most devastating. Only YMV is the most distracting illness not
only in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but also in South East Asia and the neighboring
countries of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Since its inception in 1960, YMV has been documented. On
Blackgram in India's northern plains, YMV became a major issue in the 1970's. Green and yellow spots
alternate on the leaves of diseased plants. Even though leaf size is usually unaffected, there are
occasions when the green Introduction [3] portion is slightly higher and the leaves pucker somewhat.
Eventually, the leaves become a pale, papery white. Saxena (1983) reported that urdbean yielded 874
kg/ha when protected against pest complex in comparison to only 259 kg/ha without protection. Losses
due to pod borer complex have been estimated to be 27% in urdbean, 48% in mungbean, and 41% in
cowpea (Hameed and Durbey, 1983). In the untreated black gram plots, the cumulative pod damage
caused by different borers (Maruca vitrata, Helicoverpa armigera, Lampides boeticus, and pod bugs) was
27.15 per cent during 2008 and 34.33 per cent during 2009 (Soundararajan and Chitra, 2011). The
damage due to the pod borer complex ranged from 8.1 to 22.6 per cent as estimated by Sontakke and
Muduli, (1990) in black gram. During the storage process in tropical and subtropical areas of the world,
the Bruchid beetle, also known as Callosobruchus spp. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), is responsible for a
significant decrease in both the quantity and quality of legumes (Duraimurugan et al., 2011). C. chinensis
is the most significant bruchid in Asia and is responsible for a significant amount of damage that is
inflicted against Vigna seeds. Infestation starts in the field and is carried to the store, where sometimes
it causes total destruction of the seeds within six months (Srinivasan et al., 2010). Within a period of six
months, the economic losses caused by bruchids in various pulses ranged from 30-40 per cent, and if
they were allowed to go unchecked, those losses might reach up to 100 per cent (Sekar and Nalini
2017). The damage is caused by the grubs, which feed on the entire grain content, leaving only the shell
behind. The seed loses its ability to grow, and the grain is no longer safe to eat. Currently, chemical
control is the primary tool used to combat insect pests. However, in order to meet the growing public
demand for safe, non-toxic, and biodegradable pesticides, careful planning is required. With no
additional costs and no pollution, the development of resistant types is a great component for
preventing the increase of insect populations. Resistance to this pest is facilitated by a variety of plant
biophysical and biochemical properties. However, literature on the role of these biophysical and
Introduction [4] biochemical parameters in imparting resistance to different urdbean
varieties/genotypes against insect pests is scanty. Keeping in view of the aforesaid facts and knowing the
seriousness of the problem, the present study will be undertaken with the following objectives: 1) To
screen the urdbean varieties for resistance against sucking insect pests, YMV (yellow mosaic virus) and
pod borer complex. 2) To study the influence of some morphological and biochemical characters against
sucking insect pests and pod borer complex 3) To screen the urdbean varieties against pulse beetle
Callosobruchus chinensis under laboratory condition 4) To study the efficacy of newer insecticides
against major insect pests of urdbean