Symptoms of damage:

• Irregular zig-zag tunnels in the pith region filled with excreta
• Gall like thickening and longitudinal splitting of stem
• Suppression of root and leaf production

Identification of pest:

• Egg: Smooth, oval, pale yellow in colour, laid singly in stem
• Grub: Stout, curved, legless and white in colour
• Adult: Ash grey in colour with brown elytra and has a very long snout

Management:

• Collect and destroy wild amaranthus hosts in the vicinity of cultivated crop
• Collect and destroy affected plant parts along with grubs and adults
• Spray malathion 50 EC 2 ml/lit after the harvest of leaf