Managing black caterpillar in sunflower
BLACK HEADED Red Hairy Caterpillar is a devastating pest, which attacks many food crops. The adult is a brick red coloured, medium sized moth with black spots on the wings and the body is crimson coloured with black spots.
A single female moth lays about 1,000-1,200 light green coloured eggs in clusters on the lower surface of leaves.
Feeding groups
After one week of incubation, the young ones (larvae) come out of eggs and feed on a single leaf in groups by scraping from the lower surface leaving a thin upper layer.
As these caterpillars (larvae) grow, they move to nearby plants and start feeding voraciously and defoliate the entire plants leaving behind only midribs and the main stem.
When the number is huge they migrate from one field to another for feeding.
The severely affected field looks as if it has been grazed by animals.
The grown up larvae are covered with reddish brown hairs on their body with black head. The larval period lasts for 15-20 days. Fully grown larvae undergo pupation inside the soil which lasts for about two weeks.
Usually its menace is seen from June to December only.
Pest management
— Deep ploughing in summer to expose the resting pupae to birds for predation and sunlight for destruction.
— Attract and destroy the adults by using light traps.
— Collection and destruction of early instars and egg masses along with leaves.
— Growing a trap crop like cowpea all along around the field and destroying the larvae and egg masses.
— Make small heaps of plant wastes to attract the caterpillars for shelter and destroy them.
— Dust the field with malathion 5 per cent dust or quinalphos 1.5 per cent per hectare.
R.A. BALIKAI
Principal Scientist
Department of Agricultural Entomology,
Regional Agriculture Research Station
Bijapur , Karnataka
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Sci Tech
