Managing mulberry stem borer
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Cocoon production is severely affected
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MULBERRY LEAF is the sole food material for silkworms. The plants often suffer damage by a number of insect pests among which the stem borer is the most serious.
The insect infestation results in reduced quality of leaf, which ultimately affects the cocoon production.
Insect description
The adult beetle is about 5 cm long and light grey in colour with creamy spots. It has a white band, extending from head to tip of the body on each side.
The head is distinct with large prominent eyes, and the pronotum has two orange yellow crescents.
Life cycle
The adult beetle lives by feeding on the bark of young shoots. A female beetle lays about 100 eggs in the pierced young shoots or bark of affected part of the trunk. The eggs hatch in 7 - 10 days.
Grubs live for 1 - 2 years. After 3-4 weeks of pupal life, the adult beetles emerge during May-June.
The beetles are nocturnal and the life cycle is completed in two years.
The grubs eat away the tissues of the stem, which results in tunnel - like cavities. The insect causes heavy damage to the woody parts of plants.
On severe infestation, the entire stem gets damaged and the plants die.
Pest management
— Collect and kill the adult beetles.
— Prune and destroy all the damaged branches.
— Locate the boreholes with excreta, spike out the grub using a needle.
— Use light trap to attract adult insects.
— Apply metasystox at 5 ml per bore hole.
— Pour petrol, kerosene, chloroform into the holes or plug them with cotton wool soaked in carbon bisulphate.
K.A. MURUGESH C.A. MAHALINGAM & M. VISHNUPRIYA
Department of Sericulture
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
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