Does Liriomyza cicerina affect the yield of chickpeas (Cicer arietinum)?

Abstract

Liriomyza cicerina (Rondani, 1875) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is an important pest on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in some regions of Turkey. The objective of this study was to determine whether the populations of L. cicerina on different varieties of chickpea plants during the 2004 and 2005 production seasons affected yield in Sanliurfa province. The trials were carried out using eight different varieties of chickpea with three replicates. During each season, larval densities on leaves were assessed weekly. The L cicerina larval population was lowest on four varieties for both seasons. There were very minor differences in yield among the eight varieties in the production seasons. There was no correlation found between larval density and yield loss.