Control of spotted podborer on pulses
SPOTTED PODBORER is an important pest of greengram.
The pest also causes severe damage to other pulses such as blackgram, cowpea and redgram throughout India.
Incidence of the attack can be noticed by the presence of numerous adult moths briskly flying close to the plants for egg laying.
Young caterpillars bore a tunnel into the flower buds, flowers or pods and feed on them.
The entrance hole is often plugged with their excreta. Under severe cases of infestations, the larvae are also noticed boring into stems, leading to complete wilting of plants.
The adult moth is medium sized with dark brown forewings having a prominent white line along the anterior side.
Egg laying
A female adult lays eggs in small clusters of 10 to 15 on leaves, buds, and flowers.
Eggs hatch within two days. A full-grown larva measures 15 mm in length, with a pale body lined by rows of conspicuous black spots on its dorsal surface.
Life cycle
Larval period lasts for 5 to 7 days. Pupal period lasts for 3-4 days.
Pupation takes place in the web or inside the soil surface in a silk cocoon. Under optimum conditions, the life cycle of the pest is completed in three weeks.
Control measures
Application of neem seed kernel powder at 200 kg per acre at the time of sowing the seeds prevents the spotted pod borer damage.
Spraying insecticides such as profenphos (2ml/lit) or chlorpyriphos (2ml/lit) or monocrotophos (1ml/lit) along with neem formulation (5ml/lit of water) during peak flowering and pod formation stages can help in the control the pest, according to scientists.
J.B. GOPALI
& SUHAS YELSHETTY
Agricultural Research Station
Gulbarga, Karnakata
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