• Larva feeds on silk, developing grains and cobs.

Identification of the pest:

• Spherical, creamy white eggs.
• Greenish to brown larva with brown lines dorsally white lines laterally
• Brown pupa on soil, leaf or crop debris
• Light pale brownish moth. Forewings olive green with brown circular spot in the centre
• Hind wings smoky white, with broad black outer margin.

Management:

• Set up of light traps @ 1 no./ha
• Set up Helicoverpa sex pheromone traps at 12 nos./ha
• Two applications of NPV at 10 days interval at 1.5 X1012 POB along with Crude sugar 2.5 kg + cotton seed kernel powder 250 g on the ear heads
• Spray malathion 5D 25 kg/ha or phosalone 4D 5 kg/ha