Painted bug: Bargrada hilaris (cruciferarum)
Symptoms of damage:
- Young plants wilt and wither as a result of the attack
- Adult bugs excrete resinous substances which spoil the pods
Identification of the pest:
- Adult: Bug is black in colour with red and yellow lines
Management:
- Deep ploughing so that the eggs of painted bugs are destroyed
- Early sowing is needed to avoid pest attack
- Irrigate the crop during four weeks after sowing to reduce pest attack
- Quick threshing of the harvested crop should be done
- Burn the remains of mustard crop so that the stages of insect do not reach the next year crop
- The bugs usually congregate on the leaves and stem, which can be jerked to dislodge them and killed in kerosinised water
- Conserve bio-control agents like Alophara spp.
- Spray the crop with malathion 50 EC @1000 ml or dimethoate 30 EC @625 ml in 600-700 litre water
Source-
- TamilNadu Agritech Portal
