Host range and abundance of blister beetle [Mylabris pustulata (Thunberg)] in sub-mountainous Punjab

Blister beetles were once considered minor pests but have assumed a major pest status in recent years in submountainous region of Punjab, popularly known as Kandi area. The field surveys for studying host range of blister beetle [Mylabris pustulata (Thunberg)] were conducted in this region. A total of 50 hosts of 21 families were identified for M. pustulata which covered cultivated crops, vegetables, weeds, fruits and ornamental plants. The major host plants included green gram (Vigna radiata), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), red gram (Cajanus cajan), soybean (Glycine max), Cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), garden bean (Dolichos lablab), pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), ribbed gourd (Luffa acutangula), lady's finger (Abelmoschus esculentus), etc. Most of the host plants belonged to family Leguminosae. In general, white and yellow colour flowers were most preferred by this species. The study highlighted that one of the many handicaps in the management of blister beetles is the occurrence of wide range of alternative hosts and ability of these beetles to quickly adopt to newer hosts under crop ecosystems.