Greasy Cutworm/ Black cut worm: Agrotis ipsilon
Symptoms of damage:
- Young larvae feed on the epidermis of the leaves
- Older larvae come out at night and feed young plants by cutting their stems
- They also damage the tubers by eating away part of them
Identification of pest:
- Eggs: Creamy white, dome-shaped eggs, laid singly on lower surface of the leaves
- Larvae: Newly emerged young larva is yellow in colour. The full-grown larva is dark or dark brown with a plump and greasy body.
- Pupa: Dark brown pupae are found in earthen cells lying underground in the potato fields
- Adult: Dark with some grayish patches on the back and dark streaks on the forewings.
Management:
- Flood the infested fields
- Handpick and destroy the larvae in morning and evening hours on cracks and crevices in the field
- Plough the soil during summer months to expose larvae and pupae to avian predators
- Set up light trap @1/ha
- Pheromone traps @12/ha to attract male moths
- Spray insecticides like chlorpyriphos 20 EC @1 lit/ha or neem oil @ 3%
Source-
- TamilNadu Agritech Portal
