TNAU Agritech Portal
Home | About Us | Success Stories | Farmers Association | Farmers' Innovation | Publications | Contact
TNAU Agritech Portal :: Crop Protection

Crop: Sesamum

Scientific name: Sesamum indicum

Family: Pedaliaceae

 

Important pests of Sesamum

 
1. Leaf webber, roller and capsule borer: Antigastra catalaunalis

Symptoms of damage

  • The young larvae roll together a few top leaves and feed them.
  • In the early stage of infestation, the plant dies without producing any branch or shoot.
  • In later stage of attack, infested shoots stop growing.
  • At flowering, larvae feed inside the flowers and on capsule formation, larvae bore into capsule and feed on developing seeds.

Identification of the pest

  • Larvae:  Greenish in colour with black head having short white hairs
  • Adult: Medium sized moth with reddish yellow forewings.
Damaged pods

Management

  • Two sprayings with neem formulation 0.03%
  • Spray any one of the following :
  • Carbaryl 50 WP 1000 g/ha in 500 litre of water
  • Neem seed kernels extract (5%).
  • Neem oil 2% (two rounds)
  • Use alternate insecticides each time and avoid the usage of same
    insecticide every time.
 
2. Hawk or Dead head moth (Sphinx caterpillar): Acherontia styx

Symptoms of damage

  • The young larvae roll together a few top leaves and feed them.
  • In the early stage of infestation, the plant dies without producing any branch or shoot.
  • In later stage of attack, infested shoots stop growing.
  • At flowering, larvae feed inside the flowers and on capsule formation, larvae bore into capsule and feed on developing seeds.
Larva on sesame hawkmoth.
Caterpillar feeding

Identification of the pest

  • Larvae:  Greenish in colour with black head having short white hairs
  • Adult: Medium sized moth with reddish yellow forewings.

Adult

  • Brownish giant hawk moth.
  • Thorax with a characteristic skull marking.
  • Abdomen has violet and yellow band.
  • Forewings are dark brown and Hind wings are yellowish with 2 black lines.
Larva
Pupa
Adult

Management

  • Deep ploughing exposes the pupae for predation to insectivorous birds.
  • Hand picking collection and destruction of caterpillars.
  • Two rounds of dusting with phosalone 4% or malathion 5%, first at 30 DAS and second at 45 DAS.
 
3. Linseed gall fly: Dasyneura sesame 

Symptoms of damage

  • Fully grown larvae make a hole in the bud and damage the flower.
Identification of the pest
  • Larva: Maggots are whitish, legless.
  • Adult: Mosquito like fly.

Management

  • The infested buds should be removed and destroyed to reduce further incidence of the pest.
  • conserve  larval parasite Pteromalus fasciatus Thomas
  • Spray crop at bud initiation stage with dimethoate @ 0.03%.

 
4. Gall fly: Asphondylia sesami

Symptoms of damage

  • Maggots feed inside the floral bud
  • Leading to formation of gall like structure which do not develop in to flower/capsules.
  • The affected buds wither and drop.

Identification of the pest

  • Larva: Maggots are whitish, legless and with body tapering exteriorly.
  • Adult: Mosquito like fly.
Sesame gallfly infested plant
Infested flower buds

 

Management

  • Two sprayings with neem formulation 0.03%

Spray any one of the following :

  • Carbaryl 50 WP 1000 g/ha in 500 litre of water
  • Neem seed kernels extract (5%).
  • Neem oil 2% (two rounds)
  • Use alternate insecticides each time and avoid the usage of same
    insecticide every time.
 
5Leaf hopper: Orosius albicinctus

Symptoms of damage

  • Curling of leaf edges and leaves turn red or brown.
  • The leaves dry up and shed.
  • Vector of sesamum phyllody

Identification of the pest

  • Adult: Light brown coloured hoppe

 

Management

Spray any one of the following :

  • Methyl demeton 25% EC 1200 m l/ha
  • Quinalphos 25%EC 2000 ml/ha
 
6. Aphids:  Aphis gossypii

Symptoms of damage

  • Crinkling and curling of leaves.
  • Leaves appear shiny and sticky due to honeydew excreted by the insects.
  • Later sooty mold grows on honey dew and leaves have a black coating.

Identification of the pest

  • Adult: Yellowish to dark.

Management

  • Seed treatment with imidacloprid (5g/kg seed) keeps the crop free of sucking pests over a month.
  • Paint on stem with a mixture of monocrotophos: water (1:4) or imidacloprid: water (1:20) at 20, 40 and 60 days of sowing.

 

Updated on April 25, 2014


Home | About Us | Success Stories | Farmers Association | Publications | Contact Us

© 2015 TNAU. All Rights Reserved.