Symptoms of damage:
- These hairy caterpillars scrap the under surface of the leaf when they are in neonate stage
- Later the scrapped patches of the leaves looks like thin papery
- Fully grown larvae devour the entire foliage, flowers and growing points
Identification of the pest:
- Larvae: hairy caterpillar reddish brown with black band on either end having long reddish brown hairs all over the body
- Adult: moth with white wings
Amsacta albistriga:
- Forewing- white with brownish streak all over and yellowish streak along the anterior margin and head
- Hind wing- white with black markings
Amsacta moorei:
- Forewing - white with brownish streak all over and reddish streak along the anterior margin and head
Management:
- Collection and destruction of egg masses and hand picking of larvae
- The barnyard millet (Echinochloea frumentacea) may act as strong barrier
- Summer ploughing and poison baiting
- Erection of light traps soon after the monsoon for 20-45 days, collecting and killing of adult moths are found to be very effective
- The dispersing larvae of hairy caterpillar from one field to another can be checked by digging trenches across the direction of their march, and prompt destruction of larvae
- Vegetative traps utilizing Jatropha (wild castor) or Ipomea prevent the migration of the grown up larvae
- Prepare small balls with10 kg rice bran+1 kg jaggery+1 liter quinolphos broad-cost in the fields preferably in the evening times
- Dusting of carbaryl or quinolphos @ 25-30 kg/ha would be effective in the control of young larvae
- Use of 200 ml dichlorovos 100 EC dissolved in 400 litres of water/ha may be used to control grown up caterpillars
- Spray QuinalPhos or dimethoate 2ml, 2 ml/lit of water
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