Bud borer/Bud worm
Anarsia achrasella Bradley (Lepidoptera : Gelechiidae)
Nature of Damage :
- Caterpillar bores through the upper tapering part of the flower and flower bud and eats up inner content of ovary and petals leading to no flower setting or retention (Fig. 1 & 2).
- The infested bud show milky appearance and presence of larval excreta on top (Fig. 3 & 4).
- Furthermore, the affected flowers and flowers buds dry up and later dropped down in considerable numbers caused further yield loss (Fig. 5 & 7).
- Early larval instar also cuts the margin and leaf lamina of the newly emerged leaves (Fig. 8).
Management :
- Removal and destruction of all the infested clumps along with the larva.
- Install light trap to monitor the pest activity in orchard.
- Installation of black Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) leaves extract baited trap @ 2/ha at initiation of the flower bud during March to June. The trap can be prepared from 500 gm leaves in 1 lit water, grind and filter and add 2 ml dichlorvos.
- Sequential application schedule of (i) neemazol/nimbecidine @ 3 ml/lit, (ii) lamda-cyhalothrin @ 1 ml/lit and (iii) ready-mix prefenophos + cypermethrin @ 1 ml/lit at 20 days interval during peak flowering (March onwards).
- Conservation of parasitoids like Apanteles hyposidrae Wilkinson and Phanerotoma sp. nr. hendecasisella Cameron and Goniozus sp.