Pumpkin caterpillar: Diaphania indica
Symptoms of damage:
- Young larva scrapes the cholorophyll content
- Later on it folds and webs the leaves and feeds within
- It also feeds on flowers and bores into developing fruits
Identification of pest:
- Egg: Eggs lay singly or in groups on lower surface of leaves
- Larva: Bright green with a pair of white mid-dorsal lines
- Pupa: Pupation takes place inside a cocoon among the leaves
- Adult: Whitish wings with broad and dark marginal patches. Female with tuft of orange coloured hairs at anal end.
Management:
- Collect and destroy early stage caterpillars
- Encourage activity of parasioid: Apanteles spp.
- Spray any following insecticides
- Malathion 50 EC @500 ml/ha
- Dimethoate 30 EC @500 ml/ha
- Methyl demeton 25 EC @500 ml/ha
Source-
- TamilNadu Agritech Portal
