Major pests of cumbu are:-
1.Shoot fly: Atherigona approximata
Symptom of damage:
- Young plants dry up causing dead heart
- Ear heads- chaffy grains in the tip and well-developed grains in the lower portion of ear heads
Identification of the pest:
- Adult – Greyish white fly
Management:
- Use seeds pelleted with insecticides
- Seed treatment with imidacloprid 70 WS 10 g/kg of seeds
- Plough soon after harvest, remove and destroy the stubbles.
- Set up the TNAU low-cost fish meal trap 12/ha
- Spray any one of the following insecticides
- Methyl demeton 25 EC 500 ml/ha
- Dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml/ha
- Neem seed kernel extract 5%
- Neem Azal 1%
2.Stem borer: Chilo partellus
Symptom of damage:
- Withering and drying of central shoot -“dead heart”
- Red mining in the midrib
- Bore holes visible on the stem near the nodes.
- Tender folded leaves have parallel “shot hole”
- Affected parts of the stem may show internally tunnelling caterpillars.
Identification of the pest:
- Egg: Scale-like flat oval eggs in batches on the under surface of leaves near the midribs
- Larva: Yellowish brown with a brown head and prothoracic shield
- Adult: Moth is medium size, straw coloured
Management:
- Collect the stubbles after harvest and burn to destroy diapausing borers
- Set up light trap till midnight to attract and kill the stem borer moth
- Mix any one of the following insecticides with sand (total quantity of 50 kg)
- Phorate 10G@ 8 kg
- Carbofuran 3G@ 17 kg
- Carbaryl 50 WP@ 1 kg (500 lit spray fluid/ha)
3.Pink stem borer: Sesamia inferens
Symptom of damage:
- Central shoots dried and produce the dead hearts
Identification of the pest:
- Egg: Bead like laid in rows within the leaf sheath
- Larva: Pinkish brown with dark head
- Adult: Straw coloured moth with white wings
Management:
- Spray phosalone 35% EC at every 20 days interval
4.Grain midge: Geromyia penniseti
Symptom of damage:
- Grainless glumes with white pupal case attached to the tip of the spikelet
Identification of the pest:
- Adult: Light pink fragile fly
Management:
- Apply any one of the following at 50 % flowering
- Carbaryl 10 D 25 kg/ha
- Malathion 5 D 25 kg/ha
- Carbaryl 50 WP 750 g/ha
5.Stink bug: Nezara viridula
Symptom of damage:
- Grains become chaffy or spotted black and shrivelled
- A stinking smell emanates from the bug
Identification of the pest:
- Nymph: Brownish red with multi colour spots
- Adult: Green in colour
Management:
- Apply any one of the insecticides
-
- Carbaryl 10 D
- Malathion 5 D
- Carbaryl 50 WP 750 g
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Source-
- TNAU Agritech Portal
