ECOLOGY OF A PEST GRASSHOPPER

In an ecosystem, grasshoppers are considered as primary consumer. The attention of entomologists have attracted by grasshoppers , primarily because of their main dependence on vegetation and economically important plants for subsistence. Since antiquity grasshoppers represented themselves as a serious threat to mankind. Still now locust remains as a great terror to the people of different parts of the world. Records revealed that upto the end of the last century India was not free from mass destruction of crops by grasshoppers and locust. Many short horned grasshoppers have already established themselves as pest of various crops throughout the world. Acrida exaltata (Walker) is a minor pest, which causes damage to rice and jute in India and Bangladesh. Due to its greater relative abundance in the tropical world and its pest attribute, the ecological as well as biological features can provide clues which can assist in effective control by applying the principles of integrated pest management. The content of this book should help shed some light on these aspects of this pest grasshopper.