They are caterpillars that devour crop plants and cause extensive loss to farmers. Helicoverpa armigera, also known as the cotton bollworm or legume pod borer, has been estimated to cause annual crop damage of up to US$ 2 billion globally with an additional cost of US$ 500 million on insecticides for its management.Farmers in villages in India and Nepal have been traditionally shaking crop plants to dislodge Helicoverpa larvae. Using these larvae for the multiplication of the Nucleo Polyhedrosis Virus (NPV), a biopesticide that kills Helicoverpa , is the modern twist that ICRISAT provided.
For details contact:Dr GV Ranga Rao at g.rangarao@cgiar.org
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