Invasive Insects Detected in Imported Germplasm
Quarantine examination of 1, 64, 795 exotic seed samples of various crops during 2009–10 revealed infestation by insect in 1, 566 samples including 110 instances of hidden infestation. Several pests were intercepted during visual examination including storage beetles and weevils. Some of these detections assumed significance in view of their detection at the entry point as these pests were not known to occur in India. They include Blapstinus histrichus in Carthamus tinctorius from USA; Carpophilus hemipterus in Zea mays and mango stones from USA and Israel respectively; Carpophilus sp. in Citrullus vulgaris from Thailand; Trogoderma variabile in Triticum aestivum from Australia, and Typhaea stercorea in mango stones from Israel. Equally significant pests in terms of their invasiveness were detected through X-ray radiography viz., Acanthoscelides obtectus in Phaseolus vulgaris from USA, B. ervi in Lens culinaris from Syria (ICARDA) and B. tristis in Lathyrus sativus from ICARDA (Syria). All necessary quarantine protocols were followed before releasing the germplasm to the consignees with respect to the insect infestations in general and those of quarantine significance in particular.