1.Gram pod borer: Helicoverpa armigera

• Defoliation in early stages
• Larva’s head alone thrust inside the pods and the rest of the body hanging out.
• Pods with round holes

Management

• ETL: 10% of affected pods
• Pheromone traps for Helicoverpa armigera 12/ha
• Mechanical collection of grown up larva and blister beetle
• Ha NPV 3 x1012 POB/ha in 0.1% teepol
• Apply any one of the following insectcides:
• Azadirachtin 0.03%WSP 2500-5000 g/ha

2.Spotted pod borer: Maruca testulalis

Symptoms of damage

• Bore holes on the buds, flower or pods
• Infested pods and flowers are webbed together.

Management:

• ETL: 3 larvae/plant
• Pheromone traps for Helicoverpa armigera 12/ha
• Mechanical collection of grown up larva and blister beetle
• Ha NPV 3 x1012 POB/ha in 0.1% teepol
• Apply any one of the following insectcides:
• Azadirachtin 0.03%WSP 2500-5000 g/ha

5.Bean Aphids: Aphis craccivora  

 Symptoms of damage 

• Leaves, inflorescence stalk and young pods  covered with dark coloured aphids
• Honey dew secretion with black ant movements

Management:

• ETL: 20/2.5 cm shoot length
• Spray any one of the following (Spray fluid 250 l /ha)
  • Methyl demeton 25 EC 500 ml/ha
  • Dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml/ha

6.Grass blue butterfly: Euchrysops cnejus

Symptoms of damage

• Buds, flowers and young pods with boreholes and presence of slug like caterpillar.
• Larval entry hole on the pod is plugged with excreta.

Management of pod borer complex

• ETL 10% affected parts
• Deep summer ploughing in 2-3 years to eliminate quiescent pupa.
• Early sowing, short duration varieties.
• Avoid closer plant spacing.
• Grow tall sorghum as comparison crop to serve as biological bird perches
• Collect and destroy larvae and adults to the extent possible

7.Leaf hopper: Empoasca kerri

 Symptoms of damage 

• Leave mottled and yellowish in colour
• Green colour insects found under surface of leaves

Management:

•  Spray the infested crop with methyl-o- demeton 750 ml in 700 – 1000 L water per hectare

8.Pod bugs:  Riptortus pedestris

 Symptoms of damage 

• Pods with black spots
• Shedding of green pods
• Poorly filled pods with shriveled grains inside

Management:

Spray any one of the following insectcides (Spray fluid 500 l/ha)

• Dimethoate 30% EC 500ml/ha
• Methyl demeton 25%EC 500ml/ha
• Imidacloprid 17.8 SL 100-125 ml/ha
• Thiamethoxam 25% WG 100 g/ha

9.Lab lab bug or Stink bug: Coptosoma cribraria

Symptoms of damage

• Cluster on the  plant  parts and suck the sap

Management-

• Dimethoate 30% EC 500ml/ha
• Methyl demeton 25%EC 500ml/ha

10.Whitefly: Bemisia tabaci

• Leave mottled and yellowish in colour
• vector of yellow mosaic virus

Management of sucking pests

• Shaking the infested plants over the vessels of oil and water or oily cloth gives most effective
• Spray methyl demeton 25 EC 500ml or dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml or phosphomidon 85 WSC 250 ml/ha

11.Blister beetle: Mylabris phalerata

• The adult feeds voraciously on buds and flowers.

Management

• Manual collection or collection with insect net and killing of adults in kerosenized water appears to be the only possible solution.

• Symptoms vary and include rapid death of young succulent plants.
• Discoloration of taproots, longitudinal cracks of the stems, stunting, wilting and poor yields.
• Complete control of root rot and damping off is difficult, and no variety of cowpea is resistant to root rot.
• Persistent damp weather prior to development of the first true leaf and also the crowding of seedlings due to poor seed spacing may increase damping off.

Management

• Soil application P. fluorescens or T. viride– 2.5 kg / ha + 50 kg of well decomposed FYM or sand
• Spot drenching with Carbendazim @ 1 gm/ litre

• Southern blight is caused by a fungus that attacks roots and stems of cowpeas.
• The first visible symptom of southern blight is a progressive, yellowing and wilting of the foliage beginning on the lower leaves.
• The plant dies within a few days.
• In this white-mat of the fungus, numerous smooth, round, light-tan to dark-brown mustard seed-like bodies called sclerotia are formed.

• Symptoms vary and include rapid death of young succulent plants.
• Discoloration of taproots, longitudinal cracks of the stems, stunting, wilting and poor yields.
• Complete control of root rot and damping off is difficult, and no variety of cowpea is resistant to root rot.
• Persistent damp weather prior to development of the first true leaf and also the crowding of seedlings due to poor seed spacing may increase damping off.

Management

• Roguing out of cowpea mosaic virus diseased plants in the early stage of growth up to 30 days and spraying twice at fortnightly intervals with Methyldemeton 25 EC 500 ml/ha.

• Fusarium wilt usually causes the lower leaves on one side of the plant to turn yellow.
• Infected plants usually are stunted and wilted as the organism develops in the food and water conducting tissues.
• Brick red tissue can be observed in the stem when it is split lengthwise.

Management

Fungal and viral diseases can be reduced by:

• Treating high quality seed with fungicides labeled for cowpeas.
• A four or five year rotation with other crops.
• Seeding into warm, well-prepared soils.
• Planting certified seed of resistant varieties.
• Controlling weeds.
• The removal of virus-affected plants.
• Spray any one of the systemic insecticide like to control the vector.