Gram pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera , Noctuidae, lepidioptera )
Damaging stage: larva
Symptoms of damage:
- Defoliation in early stages
- Larva’s head alone thrust inside the pods and the rest of the body hanging out.
- Pods with round holes
Identification of the pest
- Eggs – are spherical in shape and creamy white in colour, laid singly
- Larva – shows colour variation from greenish to Green with dark brown grey lines laterally on the body with lateral white lines and also has dark and pale bands.
- Pupa – brown in colour, occurs in soil, leaf, pod and crop debris
- Adult – light pale brownish yellow stout Fore wing grey to pale brown with V shaped speck.Hind wings are pale smoky white with a broad blackish outer margin.
Management
- For pod borers, raise one row of sunflower as intercrop for every 9 rows of pigeon pea and plant maize as border
- Pheromone traps for Helicoverpa armigera 12/ha
- Mechanical collection of grown up larva and blister beetle
- Heli NPV
- Apply any one of the following insectcides:
- Azadirachtin 03 % WSP 2500-5000 g/ha
- Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki 5%WP1000-1250 g/ha
- Dimethoate 30% EC 1.2 l/ha
- Emamectin benzoate 5% SG 220 g/ha
- Spinosad 45%SC 125-162 ml/ha
- NSKE 5% twice followed by triazophos 05%
- Neem oil 2%