Red hairy caterpillar in groundnut
GROUNDNUT IS an important oil seed crop grown all over India.
It is grown as a kharif, rabi and summer crop. In kharif, it is grown mainly as a rainfed crop.
In Kharif, during the early monsoon season red hairy caterpillars cause havoc in the field.
The caterpillar is reddish brown with a black band on either end having long reddish brown hair all over the body. It is the destructive stage of the pest.
Damage Symptoms
During the early instar stages, the caterpillar scrapes the chlorophyll content of the leaves. During its growth stages it defoliates the entire crop and migrates to other fields.
Management Practices
— Deep summer ploughing to destroy hibernating pupae.
— Light traps or bonfires between 7-10 p.m. immediately after the advent of first rains to attract and kill the adult moths.
— Growing cowpea as an intercrop (trap crop) helps to attract the female moths to lay eggs on it and the egg mass can be destroyed.
— Hand picking and destruction of egg mass and early instar larvae.
— Digging a plough furrow around the field and dusting lindane powder at the rate of 1 kg for a 75 metre row to prevent migration of the pest.
— Grownup larvae can be controlled by spraying dimethoate at 2 ml or monocrotophos at 1.6ml or chlorpyriphos at 2.5 ml or quinolphos at 2 ml per litre of water.
— Prepare a poison bait with 10 kg of rice brawn, 1kg of jaggery and 1 lit quinolphos and spread it in the field.
DR. B. SRINIVASULU
& V. RAVINDER NAIK
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh
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