Categories ofn 28

Pest
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• PEST - Any organism that cause significant and economic
damage to crops, stored produced and animals”.
• A pest is an organism which harms man or his property
significantly or is likely to do so (Woods, 1976)
• Pests are organisms which impose burdens on human
population by causing

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• (i) Injury to crop plants, forests and ornamentals

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• (ii) Annoyance, injury and death to humans and domesticated
animals

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• (iii) Destruction or value depreciation of stored products.
• Pests include insects, nematodes, mites, snails, slugs, etc. and
vertebrates like rats, birds, etc.
• Depending upon the importance, pests may be agricultural,
forest, household, medical and veterinary pests.

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 CATEGORIES OF PESTS
• I. Insect pests are classified as follows based on season and locality
• Regular pests: Regular pest: Occur most frequently (regularly) in a crop

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and have close association with that particular crop. Eg: Chilli Thrips

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Scirtothrips dorsalis , brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis,

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Rice stem borer.

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• Occasional pests: Here a close association with a particular crop is absent

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and they occur infrequently. Eg: Rice case worm, Nymphula depuctalis

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castor slug caterpillar, Parasa lepida , mango stem borer, Batocera
rufamaculata

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• Seasonal pests: Occur mostly during a particular part of the year, and
usually the incidence is governed by climatic conditions. Eg: Red hairy
caterpillar on groundnut-June - July, Rice grasshoppers –June-July
• Persistent pests: Occur on a crop almost throughout the year. Eg. Thrips
on chillies.
• Sporadic pests: Pests, which occur in a few isolated localities Eg. Rice ear
head bug.

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• II. Insects pests are also classified as follows
based on intensity of infestations
• Epidemic pests: Occur in a severe form in a
region or locality at a particular season or time

roller, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis

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only. Eg: Rice hispa, Dicladispa armigera, rice leaf

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• Endemic pests: Pests, which occur regularly and
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confined to a particular area of locality. Eg. Rice
Gall midge in Madurai district and rice stem borer
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cauvery delta.

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• III. Pests are classified as follows based on damage potential
• Key pests: These are the most severely damaging pests. The GEP is always above
the EIL. Human intervention may bring the population temporarily below the EIL,
but it rises back rapidly and repeated interventions (sprays) may be required to
minimize damage. These are persistent pests. The environment must be changed
to bring GEP below EIL. Ex.Cotton bollworm, Diamond backmoth

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• Major pests: These are pests with the population crosses EIL quite frequently.

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Economic damage can be prevented by timely and repeated sprays e.g. Cotton
jassid, Rice stem borer

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Minor pests: These are pests with population rarely crosses EIL and fluctuates

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•

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around ETL. But these pests are easily amenable to available control measures and

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a single application of insecticides is usually enough to prevent economic damage

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(5-10% damage).
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Potential pests: These pests normally do not cause any economic damage. Any
change in the ecosystem may make them to cause economic damage .
e. Sporadic pests : GEP generally below EIL The population of these pests is usually
negligible but in certain years under favorable environmental conditions, they
appear in a virtually epidemic form crossing many times over DB and EIL. Under
these conditions, the pest has to be controlled by undertaking suitable
management strategies. These pests are highly sensitive to abiotic conditions and
once the favorable season is over, only a residual population survives.
• Ex: White grub, hairy caterpillars, cut worm, grass hoppers
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