Symptoms of damage:
- Feed gregariously on the leaves of castor and later spread over to the entire plant
- Cause defoliation, leaving only the midrib and veins
Identification of the pest:
- Larva: slug like, ventrally flat, greenish body with white lines and four rows of spiny scoli tipped red or black
- Adult: green moth with brown band at the base of the forewing
Management:
- The pest should be kept in check by picking the gregarious caterpillars and the cocoons that are found on tree trunks and destroying them
- Spray chlorpyriphos or quinalphos @ 2 ml/litre of water if pest attack is more
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