Resistance of chickpea cultivars to Chloridea virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Chickpea is a legume with nutrient-rich grains important for human feeding. Tobacco budworm, Chloridea virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is one of the most major pests of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in Brazil. This pest damages leaves, flowers, pods, and grains. Plant resistance to insects is an important tactic of pest management, which usually facilitates and reduce costs of implementing an Integrated Pest Management for farmers. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the resistance in chickpea cultivars to C. virescens. Six chickpea cultivars were evaluated for antixenosis, initial antibiotic parameters, and behavior under field conditions. The cultivars BRS Kalifa and BRS Cícero were less attractive in a free-choice test, while Jamu 96 and BRS Kalifa were less attractive in a no-choice test. BRS Kalifa and BRS Toro leaves had a higher trichome density. Jamu 96 and BRS Toro had higher contents of oxalic and malic acids. C. virescens larvae in BRS Cícero, BRS Toro, and BRS Kalifa showed the lowest weights. Jamu 96 pods were the least damaged, and BRS Aleppo and Jamu 96 had the highest yields. The chickpea cultivars Jamu 96 and BRS Aleppo, which had resistance levels and mechanisms, can be used in integrated pest management programs to control C. virescens.