Shoot and fruit borer (Leucinodes orbonalis) BSFB :
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a. This is the most dangerous pest of brinjal causing devastating damage. The warm seasoned crops are the worst sufferer than the winter crops. The larva initially attacks the terminal shoots and bores inside, as a result of which the shoots wither drooping down and dry. In the bearing stage, it prefers to bore into the young fruits by making holes and feeds inside. The drooping shoots of the plants is an indication of its presence. The affected fruits are deformed, unfit for consumption and decay gradually.
a. Control measures:
a. Nip off the withering shoots and pick up the bored fruits daily and bury them deep into the soil is one of the best way to manage the pest. The affected plant parts and fruits along with the larvae may be collected into bag prepared by mosquito net to conserve the larval-pupal parasite like Trathela flavoorbitalis and Bracon sp.
b. Application of carbofuran 3G one and half teaspoon full per plant at 40,55 and 70 days after transplanting.
c. Spray with Spinosad, at the early flowering stage and after harvesting of fruits during bearing stage is very effective.
d. Spraying the crop with profenophos or triazophos 1.25 ml/l of water.
e. Crop rotaion excluding brinjal.
f. Use of pheromone trap to destroy the adult males (100 traps/ha).
g. ETL: 5% Shoot or Fruit damage
Epilachna beetle/Hadda Beetle: (Epilachna vigintioctopunctata) :
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1. It infects most of the solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops. The adults and grubs are very destructive, feeding voraciously on the leaves and tender plant parts. Characteristic skeleonized patches are develop due to their feeding which turn Lady`s lace like appearance on leaves and later dry away.
2. Control measures :
a. Dusting of Methyl parathion 25kg/ha at the early stage of infestation.
b. Mechanical control by hand picking and destruction of gregarious population along with egg masses and adult are very effective to keep suppress the destructive population of the pest.
Jassids(Amrasca biguttula biguttula)
a. The adult and nymphs are destructive which colonise on the under surface of leaves and cause damage by sucking saps. The infested leaves curl up words along the margins which may turn yellowish, and show burnt up patches. Jassids also transmit little leaf disease.
b. Control measures:
1. Application of imidacloprid @ 0.3 ml/l is very effective against the pest. Aldicarb granules @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha at 5 days after transplanting, followed by three fortnightly sprays of quinalphos @ 0.05% after after-set provide satisfactory result.
Thrips(Scirtothrips dorsalis)
1. Both the adults and nymph of this tiny insect cause damage by sucking sap from both the surfaces of the leaves. Continuous sucking of huge population along the veins makes silver shiny and pale appearance of leaves. The severely infested leaves gradually wither.
2. Control measures:
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1. Application of Acetamiprid @ 0.4 ml/l is very effective against this pest.
Red spider mite(Tetranychus spp.)
1. Four spider mite species, Tetranychus urticae Koch, T. macferlanei Baker & Pritchard, T.ludeni Zacher and T. neocaledonicus Andre are commonly found to attack vegetable crops. They are tiny, microscopic and morphologically alike without visual different among these four species. However, T.urticae is found everywhere to attack the crops. Brinjal is severely infested by these mite species and found to feed from the dorsal of the leaf. All the active stages of the mite suck sap resulting whitish appearance of the crop. Severely infested crops are covered by their heavy webbing that affect the photosynthetic activity of the plants, the leaves gradually dry up and fall off prematurely. Summer crops are worst affected.
2. Control measures:
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a. Use of balanced fertilizer and proper irrigation to keep the plants healthy and reduce mite attack.
b. Spray the crops with neem based acaricides during first occurrence of mite in the crop.
c. Release of predatory mite, Amblyseius longispinosus is very effective against these mites.
d. Heavy infestation requires Acaricidal application (dicofol @ 2.5 ml/l; propergite @ 1.5 ml/l or diafenthiuron @ 1 ml/l) to save the crop.
Stem borer(Euzophera perticella)
1. The caterpillars attack stems and often kill the young plants. The growth of infested plant is stunted or withers.
2. Control measures:
a. Remove and destroy the affected plant parts
b. Spray the crop with 0.03% diazinon.
Root-knot nematodes(Meloidogyne Spp):
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1. The nematodes attack the roots and produce swellings or galls there. The affected plants become stunted in growth, and leaves show chlorotic symptoms and become rough in texture.
2. Control measures:
a. Apply Nemagon or Nematex to the soil.
b. Plant Tagetes erecta (Marigold) seedlings in the alternate rows of brinjal, which acts as trap crop for nematode.
c. Deep ploughing 2-3 times in the summer months are beneficial in minimizing the nematode population.
d. Apply Thimet 10 g (12 kg/ha) or Furadan 3 G (15 kg/ha) in the field at transplanting.
