IPM for tropical crops: lentil

Lentil is an old-world legume and grown in more than 70 countries. It is a major source of protein in plant-based diets and is often used to fix nitrogen in the soil as a rotational crop, especially with cereal crops. Canada, USA, and Australia are the major exporters of lentil. Around the globe, this crop faces various biotic and abiotic stresses. More than 35 insect pests and the same number of diseases are reported to infest lentil in different parts of the world. While the status of insect pests and diseases varies in different geographical regions, some of them are aphids, armyworm, cutworm, pod borer, Stemphylium blight, fusarium wilt, Alternaria blight, and rust. Cultural management strategies for abiotic and biotic stresses include crop rotation, the timing of seeding, appropriate seed rates, and weed management. Biological control agents are also known for several insect pests. Environmental-friendly options such as biopesticides and microbials (entomopathogenic bacteria, fungi and nematodes, neem products, and Trichoderma sp.) can be used as seed treatment and foliar application. Various tolerant and resistant lentil varieties are available around the globe. In the present article, we provide an IPM package for the management of major biotic stresses for lentil crop.