ABSTRACT
Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is one of the most serious insect pests in Asia (Reed and Pawar 1982). It has a wide host range, covering more than 180 plant species belonging to 45 families in India, including major crops such as cotton, tomato, pigeonpea and chickpea (Manjunath et al. 1989). Annual losses caused by Helicoverpa in chickpea and pigeonpea have been estimated to exceed US$600 million worldwide. In India, despite the use of pesticides worth US$ 211 million for controlling insect pests, Helicoverpa alone resulted in approximately 50% pest-induced crop losses. As a result of heavy losses caused by Helicoverpa, farmers have resorted to more frequent application of pesticides to contain this pest. The total dependence on insecticides for a long time has resulted in several disastrous situations in the developing countries. Substantial research efforts have been directed at investigating individual pest control components. However, economically feasible and environment friendly options have not been assembled at farm level in a systems context. This chapter focuses on different options of IPM, successes and failures of IPM, and appropriate Helicoverpa management strategies for future.
