Vol. 7, Issue 11, Part H (2025)

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is a vital vegetable crop cultivated widely across India, valued not only for its nutritional richness but also for its important role in supporting livelihoods and food security. Despite its relevance, okra production faces major challenges from a diverse range of insect pests, which cause significant yield losses and reduce market quality. The predominance of sap-sucking pests and fruit borers, combined with changing agro-climatic conditions, necessitates ongoing research into insect species diversity for the development of economically and ecologically sound management strategies. The study on diversity and abundance of insect species associated with summer okra (variety NOH-7070) under field conditions at the College of Agriculture, Latur, Maharashtra, during the summer of 2025, revealed a highly diverse community with 52 arthropod species comprising 34 insect pests, 16 predatory arthropods, and two parasitoids across 34 families and 10 orders. Among pests, Hemiptera was the most species-rich order (13 species), followed by Coleoptera (9), Lepidoptera (6), Orthoptera (4), and minor groups. The dusky cotton bug (Oxycarenus hyalinipennis) dominated the pest complex (36.36%), followed by leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula, 21.16%), whitefly (Bemisia tabaci, 9.46%), aphid (Aphis gossypii, 6.18%), with notable contributions from shoot and fruit borer (Earias vittella, 2.14%), and fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera, 3.45%). Ladybird beetles and spiders were major predators, with Brumoides suturalis (8.96%) and Menochilus sexmaculata (8.60%) being the most abundant. Parasitoid diversity was low, comprising Habrobracon hebetor and Trichogramma spp. being the most abundant. Diversity indices revealed moderate pest species richness (Shannon-Wiener H′ = 0.97) and higher predator evenness (H′ = 1.15). The parasitoid community was species-poor and uneven.