Symptoms of damage

• Scrapping of the leaves by freshly hatched larvae.
• Grown up larvae feed the entire leaf leaving petioles alone looks the field grazed by cattle.

Identification of the pest

• Egg: Golden brown eggs laid in masses covered with hairs.
• Larva: Stout, cylindrical, greenish brown larvae with dark markings \.
• Pupa: Pupate in earthen cocoon inside the soil.
• Adult: Stout moth with wavy white markings on the brown forewings and a brown patch along the margin in white hindwings.
• Nocturnal habit, larvae hide under the plants, cracks and crevices of soil and debris during day time.
• Faecal pellets found on the leaves and ground is the indication of the pest incidence
• Management ETL: 8 egg masses /100 m row Follow summer ploughing to expose pupae to sunlight and bird. Grow castor as a border (or) intercrop to serve as an indicator (or) trap crop. Install light trap @ 1 /ha to monitor moths activity. Install pheromone traps (Pherodin SL) @ 5 nos. / ac to monitor and kill male moths. Collect and destroy egg masses, early stage larvae with lace-like leaves. Avoid larvae migration by digging a trench of 30 cm deep and 25 cm wide with perpendicular sides around the infested fields. Spray SlNPV at 1.5 x 1012 POB per ha @ 250 LE during evening hours. Spray any one of the following insecticides either in the early morning or in the evening Spray BSKE 5 % Flubendiamide 20 WG 120 g/ac

Adult

• Follow summer ploughing to expose pupae to sunlight and bird.

• Grow castor as a border (or) intercrop to serve as an indicator (or) trap crop.
• Install light trap @ 1 /ha to monitor moths activity.

• Install pheromone traps (Pherodin SL) @ 5 nos. / ac to monitor and kill male moths.

• Collect and destroy egg masses, early stage larvae with lace-like leaves.
• Avoid larvae migration by digging a trench of 30 cm deep and 25 cm wide with perpendicular sides around the infested fields.

• Spray SlNPV at 1.5 x 1012 POB per ha @ 250 LE during evening hours.
• Spray any one of the following insecticides either in the early morning or in the evening
• Spray BSKE 5 %
• Flubendiamide 20 WG 120 g/ac