Evaluation of different Kabuli chickpea genotypes against Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in relation to biotic and abiotic factors

Hafiz Muhammad Bilal Yousuf; Muhammad Yasin; Habib Ali; Khalid Naveed; Ammara Riaz; Amal Mohamed AlGarawi; Ashraf Atef Hatamleh; Yunfeng Shan

doi:10.7717/peerj.16944

Evaluation of different Kabuli chickpea genotypes against Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in relation to biotic and abiotic factors

PeerJ. 2024 Mar 13:12:e16944. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16944. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Hafiz Muhammad Bilal Yousuf^#^{1

2}, Muhammad Yasin¹, Habib Ali³, Khalid Naveed⁴, Ammara Riaz⁵, Amal Mohamed AlGarawi⁶, Ashraf Atef Hatamleh⁶, Yunfeng Shan^#⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Islamia University, Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.
² Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
³ Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Depalpur Campus, Okara, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Life Sciences, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ College of Mathematics and Computer Science, Guangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Laibin, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: The chickpea pod borer Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is a significant insect pest of chickpea crops, causing substantial global losses.

Methods: Field experiments were conducted in Central Punjab, Pakistan, to investigate the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on pod borer population dynamics and infestation in nine kabuli chickpea genotypes during two cropping seasons (2020-2021 and 2021-2022). The crops were sown in November in both years, with row-to-row and plant-to-plant distances of 30 and 15 cm, respectively, following a randomized complete block design (RCBD).

Results: Results showed a significant difference among the tested genotypes in trichome density, pod wall thickness, and leaf chlorophyll contents. Significantly lower larval population (0.85 and 1.10 larvae per plant) and percent damage (10.65% and 14.25%) were observed in genotype Noor-2019 during 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, respectively. Pod trichome density, pod wall thickness, and chlorophyll content of leaves also showed significant variation among the tested genotypes. Pod trichome density and pod wall thickness correlated negatively with larval infestation, while chlorophyll content in leaves showed a positive correlation. Additionally, the larval population positively correlated with minimum and maximum temperatures, while relative humidity negatively correlated with the larval population. Study results explore natural enemies as potential biological control agents and reduce reliance on chemical pesticides.

Keywords: Abiotic factors; Chickpea; Chlorophyll contents; Genetic resilience; Genotypes; Physio-morphic characters; Trichomes.

MeSH terms

Animals
Chlorophyll
Cicer* / genetics
Crops, Agricultural / genetics
Genotype
Helicoverpa armigera
Larva / genetics
Moths* / genetics

Substances

Chlorophyll

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant for high-level talents of Guanxi Science and Technology Normal University (GKS 20220901). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.