Red-headed caterpillar in groundnut
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The pest affects rain-fed crops
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THE RED-HEADED hairy caterpillar (RHC) Amsacta albistriga is a voracious pest attacking many rainfed crops in low-rainfall areas in India. In Karnataka, it mainly affects groundnut crop.
The early instars of the pests scrape the green matter on leaves giving a papery appearance to the leaves. Grown up caterpillars feed voraciously on the leaves. The resown crops will be less productive due to delay in sowing and inadequate moisture.
Life history
The pest completes two generations in a year. First generation moths emerge 1-2 days after rains during May-July in Southern Karnataka.
Moths deposit eggs on crop plants, weeds, stones, clods, dry sticks and wooden poles.
Each female can lay between 200-1000 eggs in groups. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days. Early instar larvae are voracious and scrape the green matter. After 32-45 days, fully-grown larvae pupate in soil. Second generation moths emerge during September.
The pest can be managed by the following measures:
— Deep ploughing to expose pupae — after harvesting of crop or after early rains in summer.
— Attracting and killing the moths by setting up bonfires between 7 to 10 pm after good rains during May-July.
— Sowing of trap crops such as cowpea, sesamum and green gram as intercrops and along borders to reduce pest load. — Hand collection and destruction of egg masses and grown up larvae.
— Spraying monocrotophos (0.05 per cent) or quinalphos (0.04 per cent) against early larval instars.
Use of poison bait
Mix rice bran (1 kg) and jaggery (100 g) thoroughly. Add a small quantity of water (enough to moisten the mixture) and allow the mixture to ferment for 24 hours.
Then add the insecticide methomyl 40 SP (15 g/kg bait) or monocrotophos 36 SL (15 ml/kg bait) to the fermented mixture and spread the bait in the field during evening hours at the rate of 10 kgs/acre.
PRABHU C. GANIGER &
V.T.SANNAVEERAPPANAVAR
Department of Entomology
University of Agricultural Sciences,Bangalore
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