Bioecology of Maruca vitrata in Cowpea

Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (Linnaeus) Walpers [Syn. Vigna sinensis (Linnaeus)] is one of the pulses belonging to family Fabaceae/Papilionaceae and sub-family Faboidae/Papilionoidae and also known as black-eyed bean or southern pea in English while chola or choli, chavli, lobia in vernacular languages in India. It is the most versatile kharif pulse because of its drought tolerating characters, soil restoring properties and multipurpose uses. Cowpea is called vegetable meat due to high amount of protein in grain with better biological value on dry weight. Cowpea grain contains 60% carbohydrates, 22-28% protein and 1.8% fat. Moreover, it is a rich source of calcium and iron . It is grown as a green manure for soil improvement. It contains 54 kg N/ha in tops and 49 kg N/ha in roots. The crop forms excellent forage. The feeding value of cowpea is high and quite comparable to lucerne.Spotted pod borer, M. vitrata feeding on flowers, pods and leaves is one of the major insect pest of cowpea in tropics. It is reported that larval stage of insect can destroy the flowers and developing pods to an extent of up to 60% in tropics and sub-tropics