Amaranthus weevil: Hypolixus truncatulus
| Symptoms of damage |
- Irregular zig-zag tunnels in the pith region filled with excreta.
- Gall like thickening and longitudinal splitting of stem.
- Suppresssion of root and leaf production
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| Identification of pest |
- Egg – smooth, oval, pale yellow in colour, laid singly in stem
- Grub - Stout, curved, legless and white in colour
- Adult - Ash grey in colour with brown elytra and has a very long snout
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| Management |
- Collect and destroy wild amaranthus hosts in the vicinity of cultivated crop
- Collect and destroy affected plant parts along with grubs and adults
- Spray insecticides like malathion 50 EC 2 ml/ lit after the harvest of leaf
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Leaf caterpillar: Hymenia recurvalis
| Symptoms of damage |
- Web the leaves with silken threads and feed within
- Webbed leaves become devoid of chlorophyll and dry up
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 |
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| Drying and webbing |
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| Identification of pest |
- Larva: Greenish with white lines and black crescents on thorax below the lateral lines
- Adult:Small, black coloured, moth with slender body.Wings dark brown in colour with white wavy markings
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 |
| Adult |
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| Management |
- Collect and destroy affected plant parts with caterpillars
- Set up light trap @ 1/ha to attract and kill the adults
- Spray malathion 50 EC 1 ml/ lit
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Leaf webber: Psara basalis
| Identification of pest |
- Larva: Green in colour
- Adult: small moth with yellowish white thorax and abdomen
- Brownish red forewing and dark brown hind wing.
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| Management |
- Collect and destroy affected plant parts with caterpillars
- Set up light trap @ 1/ha to attract and kill the adults
- Spray malathion 50 EC 1 ml/ lit
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