White Grub: Holotrichia consanguinea
Symptom:
- Yellowing and wilting of leaves.
- Drying of entire crown.
- Affected canes come off easily when pulled.
- Cause extensive damage to roots and base of the shoot.
- Affected canes show lodging in the field.
- Damages can be seen more in ratoon crop when compare to plant crop
Identification of pest:
- Egg: A female lays on an average of 27 eggs in the soil, which is pear like and enclosed in earthen cells.
- Grub: Fleshy ‘C’ shaped, whitish yellow in colour found close to the base of the clump.
- Pupa: Pupae are tan to brown, and occur deeper in the soil in earthen chambers.
- Adult: Adult beetles are a rusty-red colour just after emerging from the pupal stage, but turn nearly black.
Management:
Cultural method:
- Provide adequate irrigation.
- Deep ploughing immediately after harvesting.
- Avoid ratoon cropping
- Stagnating water for 24hrs in the field then the grub will come out from the soil
Physical method:
- Collect and destroy the adult beetles, harbouring in nearby Neem, Ailanthus, and Acacia trees immediately after the summer showers using powerful petromax lights as a mass campaign in areas near to forest and hilly regions.
Biological method:
- Apply Beauveria brongniortii @ 2.5 kg/ha (1*109 cfu/g) entopathogenic fungal formulation along with FYM at the time of planting in endemic regions.
Source-
- TamilNadu Agritech Portal
