Nature of damage:
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•The damage is inflicted by the adult beetle which burrows by remaining in between leaf sheaths near the crown and thus cut across the leaf in its folded condition.
•The damaged leaves show characteristic clipping or holes in the leaflets.
•Frequent infestation results in stunting of trees and death of growing point in young plantations.
•The infestation can be easily made out by the chewed fibrous material present near holes.
Management
•Remove and burn all dead coconut trees in the garden (which are likely to serve as breeding ground) to maintain good sanitation.
•Collect and destroy the various bio-stages of the beetle from the manure pits (breeding ground of the pest) whenever manure is lifted from the pits.
•Incorporate the entomopathogen i.e., fungus (Metarrhizium anisopliae) in manure pits to check the perpetuation of the pest.
•Soak castor cake at 1 kg in 5 l of water in small mud pots and keep them in the coconut gardens to attract and kill the adults.
•Examine the crowns of tree at every harvest and hook out and kill the adults.
•For seedlings, apply 3 naphthalene balls/palm weighing 3.5 g each at the base of inter space in leaf sheath in the 3 inner most leaves of the crown once in 45 days.
•Set up light traps following the first rains in summer and monsoon period to attract and kill the adult beetles.
•Field release of Baculovirus inoculated adult rhinoceros beetle @ 15/ha reduces the leaf and crown damage caused by this beetle.
•Apply mixture of either neem seed powder + sand (1:2) @150 g per palm or neem seed kernel powder + sand (1:2) @150 g per palm in the base of the 3 inner most leaves in the crown.
•Place phorate 10 G 5 g in perforated sachets in two inner most leaf axils for 2 times at 6 months intervals.
•Set up rhino lure pheromone trap @ 1 per ha to trap and kill the beetles.
•The grubs in their breeding places should be killed by spray application of carbaryl 0.1 % solution at least once in three months.
•The beetles should be extracted from the crown with the help of iron hooks and a mixture of sand plus carbaryl 10% dust in equal proportions should be filled in the axils of innermost 2 – 3 leaves on the crown twice a year during pre and post monsoon periods.