Impact of biotic and abiotic factors on lac production and peoples’ livelihood improvement in India-An overview

In India, Madhya Pradesh is the third largest lac producing state after Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, as they contribute 12, 16 and 60%, respectively in total country’s lac production. Lac is produced in ten out of eleven agro-climatic zones of Madhya Pradesh. In total lac production of the state, Baisakhi (Butea monosperma, inoculated in October-November) crop contributes 76% followed by 19% by Katki (Butea monosperma, inoculated in June-July), 3% by Aghani (Schleichera oleosa, inoculated in June-July) and 2% by Jethwi (Schleichera oleosa, inoculated in January-February). Ranchi was leading lac producing district followed by Simdega, Gumla, Khunti of Jharkhand and Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. Increasing summer temperature up to 45 ⁰C, the country’s lac production was declined from 20,050 tons in 2003-04 to 16978 tons in 2014-15. In case of biotic factors, Tachardiaephagus tachardiae and Tetrastichus purpureus are the most abundant lac associated parasites and Eublemma amabilis and Pseudohypatopa pulverea are the most destructive key predators of lac insects. By combating these hindrances, lac cultivation generated an employment for 16-160 man days. Lac cultivation produces maximum gross return (Rs. 9,77,600) from 100 Kusum host plants, and the highest Benefit-Cost (6.80) ratio was recorded for Ber-kusumi (Ziziphus mauritiana- Schleichera oleosa) crop in Ranchi, Jharkhand. In this context, the study finds out obstacles in lac production of India and suggests some control measures to improve lac producing peoples’ livelihood.

Bionomics of Eublemma amabilis Moore (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a Major Predator of Lac insect and Its Control Measure

The moth, Eublemma amabilis Moore is very destructive to lac insect and lac encrustation. The moth is generally white-pinkish in colour and it lays gray-white and round eggs, depressed in the centre. The newly hatched larva enters the lac insect either through one of the opening in the cell or by tunneling a hole through the encrustation. A single larva damages 42-50 matured cells prior to pupation. It completes six generation in a year and causes comparatively more injury to the "Kartki" crop than to the Baishaki crop. The morphological details of this predator were studied. Several natural enemies of E. amabilis have been recorded. Key words: Eublemma amabilis, Lac, Predator, Crop injury and Control measure. doi: 10.3329/bjsir.v44i1.2714 Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 44(1), 57-64, 2009

Pupal Parasites of Holcocera pulverea, Meyr. (Lep.), an Enemy of the Lac Insect

Caterpillars of the moth Holcocera pulverea, Meyr., along with those of Eublemma amabilis, Moore, do great damage to lac cultivation by feeding upon the living insects. Misra* and Imms & Chatterjee† have pointed out that H. pulverea may be found in even greater numbers than E. amabilis, though the predacious nature of the latter is more generally recognised. I have been able to confirm this observation with North Indian species of lac insects growing on Butea frondosa and Schleichera trijuga. However, in South India the wild species of lac, Lakshadia communis, at least in Mysore, is entirely free from the attack of H. pulverea, while Lakshadia mysorensis, the species commercially cultivated on Shorea talura, is never attacked by H. pulverea to the same extent that it is by Eublemma amabilis. With L. mysorensis this is partly due to H. pulverea being heavily parasitised. In the pupal stage this moth is attacked by the Chalcid, Eurytoma pallidiscapus, Cam. Imms & Chatterjee mention that only four examples of this parasite were reared by them during the entire course of their study, indicating its rare association with North Indian species of lac insects. In Mysore it is far from being scarce, which has enabled its life-history to be traced as a pupal parasite of H. pulverea. Fig. 1, a, shows a pupa of this moth from which a female, Eurytoma pallidiscapus, was reared on 14th November 1922.