Comparative Abundance and Diversity of Insect Pests in Sprayed and Unsprayed Groundnut Ecosystems of Adilabad, Northern Telangana, India

Abstract

Aim: The study aims to compare the abundance and diversity of insect pests in sprayed and unsprayed groundnut ecosystems and to assess the impact of insecticidal interventions on pest community structure in Northern Telangana. Study Design: Field-based comparative ecological study. Place and Duration of Study: Agricultural Research Station, Adilabad, Northern Telangana Zone, Telangana, India, during the Rabi season of 2025–2026. Methodology: Insect pest diversity and abundance were assessed in sprayed and unsprayed groundnut ecosystems using yellow pan traps, yellow sticky traps, sweep-net sampling and visual observations at fortnightly intervals. Collected specimens were identified up to the family level and community structure was analysed using standard ecological diversity indices including Shannon–Wiener diversity (H′), Simpson’s diversity, Pielou’s evenness (J′), Berger–Parker dominance and Hill’s numbers. Results: A total of 21,508 and 19,002 insect pest individuals belonging to 32 families and six orders were recorded from the unsprayed and sprayed ecosystems, respectively. Hemiptera was the dominant order, while Aleyrodidae and Thripidae were the most abundant families in both ecosystems. Diversity and evenness indices were marginally higher in the unsprayed ecosystem, whereas the sprayed ecosystem exhibited greater dominance of a few pest taxa. Conclusion: The sprayed ecosystem had lower overall pest abundance and greater dominance of a few taxa, whereas the unsprayed groundnut ecosystem maintained a comparatively more diverse and evenly distributed insect pest community.