The book is a comprehensive and student-friendly reference that systematically covers the major insect pests affecting important agricultural, horticultural, plantation, and commercial crops cultivated in India. The book is designed to meet the academic requirements of undergraduate students of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Allied Sciences, while also serving as a practical guide for extension workers and field professionals.

The content is organized crop-wise and includes detailed coverage of insect pests of millets, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, plantation crops, fruit crops, and industrial crops such as sugarcane and cotton. Each crop chapter focuses on the major and economically important insect pests, their identification, host range, nature of damage, and basic management approaches. Emphasis is placed on understanding pest–crop relationships to support effective pest diagnosis and decision-making in the field.

Special attention has been given to commonly cultivated crops such as rice alternatives (millets), pulses, vegetables (brinjal, tomato, okra, chilli, potato, cucurbits), plantation crops (coconut, banana, cashew), and fruit crops (mango, citrus, guava, pomegranate, sapota, jackfruit). The book aligns well with ICAR syllabi and Sixth Deans’ Committee recommendations, making it suitable for semester examinations as well as competitive examinations.

Written in clear and concise language, this book bridges theoretical concepts with practical relevance, helping students develop a strong foundation in agricultural entomology and integrated pest awareness.

H. Lewin Devasahayam after completion of his post graduate degree course from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi joined the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in 1960 and served the University for 30 years in various capacities and retired as Associate Professor of Plant Pathology in 1990. He has published more than 50 research articles in various leading Indian and Foreign journals. He is the author of the books entitled ‘Practical manual of Entomology’, ‘Elements of Entomology’, ‘Illustrated Plant Pathology’ and co-author of the books ‘Crop diseases’ and ‘Diseases of spice crops’, and all the above books have been published by NIPA, New Delhi. He is also the co-author of the book entitled ‘Plant Ecology’ published by M/S. Agri-Biovet Press, New Delhi.

Chapter 01: Agricultural Entomology

Chapter 02: Insect Pests of Millets

Chapter 03: Pearl millet or Bajra (Pennisetum typhoides) 

Chapter 04: Finger millet or Ragi (Eleusine coracana) 

Chapter 05: Red gram or Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan)

Chapter 06: Gram or Bengal gram or Chick pea (Cicer arietinum) 

Chapter 07: Field bean or Broad bean (Vicia faba)

Chapter 08: Castor (Ricinus communis)

Chapter 09: Coconut (Cocos nucifera)

Chapter 10: Cotton (Gossypium species)

Chapter 11: Brinjal or Egg plant (Solanum melongena)

Chapter 12: Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum)

Chapter 13: Okra or Bhendi or Lady’s finger (Abeimoschus esculentus) 

Chapter 14: Chilli (Capsicum annuum)

Chapter 15: Potato (Solanum tuberosum) .

Chapter 16: Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

Chapter 17: Cucurbits

Pests of Crucifiers   

Chapter 18: Pests of Ginger (Zingiber officinale)  

Chapter 19: Moringa or Drumstick (Moringa oleifera/Moringa pterygosperma)

Chapter 20: Banana (Musa species) 

Chapter 21: Mango (Mangifera indica)

Pests of Citrus plants

Chapter 22: Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)

Chapter 23: Guava (Psidium guajava)

Chapter 24: Pomegranate (Punica granatum) 

Chapter 25: Sapota (Mamilkara zapota)

Chapter 26: Jack fruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Chapter 27: Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)