Fruit borers: Deudorix (Virachola) isocrates
Symptoms of damage:
-
Caterpillar bores into young fruits
-
Feeds on internal contents (pulp and seeds)
Identification of pest:
-
Larvae – dark brown, short and stout, covered with short hairs
-
Adult – blusih brown butterfly. Female – V shaped patch on forewing.
Management:
-
Collect and destroy damaged fruits
-
Clean cultivation as weed plants serve as alternate hosts
-
Use light trap @ 1/ ha to monitor the activity of adults
-
Insecticides: malathion 50 EC 0.1% two rounds, one at flower formation and next at fruit set.
Source-
- TamilNadu Agritech Portal
