Rice swarming caterpillar( Spodoptera mauritia, Noctuidae , Lepidioptera )
Also called lawn army worm. Polyphagus pest
Damaging stage : larvae
Damaging stage :
- Shoot hole on leaf blade
- Skeletonized leaf and stem dieback
Identification
Egg : spherical and cream color , cluster form covered with gray hair.
Larvae: light green with yellowish white lateral ad dorsal strips in early stage and later become dark brown or grayish green in color . A crescent ( semicircle or C –shaped ) black spot on the side of each segment .
Pupa : soil
Adult : dark brown moth with white blotch on forewings .
Male : tuft of hair on forewings .
Female : gray brown in color
Hndwings: brownish white with thin black margin.
Management
- In case of severe attack the entire area should be isolated by trenching and crop should be ploughing .
- Kerosene water during irrigation to suffocate and kill the
- spray chloropyrifos 20% EC 80 ml /l during evening
- other method are similar to tobacco caterpillar