Scientific name: choea janata

Order : Lepidoptera

Class : Noctuidae

• This is a serious pest of the oilseed crop and is distributed throughout the Indian Union, wherever castor is grown.

• It is occuring during July to September.

• The full grown larva is dull greyish brown and measures 60 to 70 mm. Long.
• Five distinct larval instars have been observed. The larval period lasts from 12 to 13 days in July, August and September.
• Pupation takes place either in the soil amidst the fallen leaves or sometimes amidst the folded leaves on the plant. The pupal period lasts from 10 to 27 days.
• A generation is completed in about 28 to 45 days.

• Hand picking of older larvae during early stages.
• Manipulate parasitic activity by avoiding chemical spray, when 1-2 larval parasites are observed on castor plant.

• The larvae are heavily parasitised by a braconid parasite, Microplitis Maculipennis.
• Two larval parasites, one a chalcid, Euplectrus sp. and another a braconid Rhogas sp. have also been recorded.

• Spray Quinalphos 2ml or Chloropyriphos 2ml or carbaryl (50%) 3gm or monocrotophos 1.5ml endosulphan 2ml/lit of water if 4-5 semi-looper/plant are observed on 30 & 40 days old seedlings.
• Spray neem seed kernal extract (NSKE) 4% synchronising with egg early larval stage.
• Providing bird perches (10/acr) helps in reducing the incidence.

• 4-5 adults/plant.

Scientific name : Amsacta albistriga.

Order : Lepidoptera

Class : Lymantriidae.

• The pest is distributed through out the India.

• It is active during June to August.
• The caterpillars of this pest cause serious damage to the crop by completely defoliating the leaves during the kharif season.

• Larvae defoliate the crop.
• Major damage is caused by migrating caterpillars.
• More destruction to young crop.
• When the soft foliage has been exhausted, they even turn to the bark to satisfy their insatiate appetite.

• Setting of light traps (250 watts mercury lamps) on community basis with the first monsoon rains to attract the moths and kill them.
• Sowing cucumber along with castor.
• Placing the twigs of Ipomoea, Jatropha and Calotropis to attract the migrating caterpillars and kill them mechanically.

• One scelionid egg parasite, Aholcus euproctiscidis and two braconid larval parasites, Apanteles enproctisiphagus and Glyptomorpha deesae have been recorded.
• There is heavy infestation by Apanteles and every effort should be made to conserve the parasite population in the field.

• Spray monocrotophos 1.6ml or fenvalerate (0.02%), Quinalphos 2ml, or Methyl Parathion (0.02%) or Dimethoate 2ml.
• Trenching around the field 2ml and dusting with endosulphan 4% or Methylparathian 2% or Quinolphos 1.5% to control migrating larvae.

Scientific name: Spodoptera litura

Order : Lepidoptera

Class : Noctuidae

• The pest has a wide distribution throughout the Indian Union and occurs as a sporadic pest.

• Active during August to October.

• The larval period varies from 15 to 30 days.
• Pupation takes place in the soil and the pupal period varies from 7 to 15 days.
• Eight generations have been known to be completed during a year.

• If the area to be treated is small, collect and destroy the egg masses and caterpillars in the early stages of infestation.
• Plough up the soil so as to expose the pupae to predators and parasites.
• Monitoring the pest with pheromone traps (4-5/acr) helps in timing of treatment.

• A large number of parasites have been recorded.
  One ichneumonid larval parasite, Angitia argenteopilosa has been recorded.
• The braconid parasites, one larval and another egg-larval, Apanteles prodeniae and Chelonus sp. have also been recorded.
• The pupae have been found to be parasitised by an eulophid, Trichospilus pupivora.

• To control early stage larvae, spray neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 4% or Spray Chloropyrifos 2.5ml or monocrotophos 2ml or Quinolphos 2ml or neem oil 5ml in one lit of water.
• As the grownup larvae move down to soil to hide during day time, poison bait (1litre of monocrotophos or 1kg Carbaryl in 10kg of bran, 1kg jaggery, little water to make the bait in to pellets for one hectare) placement at base of the plant helps in killing the larvae.

• 5-10% infected plants.

• The castor jassid occurs on castor as a minor pest.
• It has been recorded from Bihar, Madras and Assam.
• Outside India it has been recorded in Burma.
• Besides castor it infests tea.

• Peak infestation of jassid is during November to January.
• Mostly seen at seedling stage, some times found almost throughout the year.

• 2-3 adults/leaf.

• Spraying with any systemic insecticide.
• Seed treatment with imidacloprid or carbosulfan or stem application with monocrotophos protects the crop from all sucking pests including Jassids for about a month.
• Spray monocrotophos (0.05%) or dimethoate (0.05%). Repeat spray if required after a fortnight.

• Forewings are olive green to pale brown with a pale brown circular spot in the centre and double waved lines close to outer margin.
• Hind wings are pale smoky-white with a broad blackish outer border with dark broken grey lines and dark and pale bands feeds voraciously on leaves.
• The creamy eggs are laid singly preferably on young leaves.
• Pupation takes place in the soil.

• Spray endosulfan, chlorpyriphos, quinalphos, @ 2ml/litre of water and fenvalerate, cypermethrin @ 1ml/litre of water. NPV may also be sprayed @ 250 LE/ha.

• Collection and destruction of eggs and early stage larvae helps in arresting the multiplication of population.
• Spray NSKE 4% to kill early stage larvae.
• If grownup larvae are seen, spray endosulfan, monocrotophos, quinalphos, or chlorpyriphos@ 2ml/litre of water.

Scientific name : Latoia lepida

Order : Lepidoptera

Class : Limacodidae

• It is most common in the southern regions of the country especially Madras and has been recorded from Ceylon also.

• This pest damages the castor plant sporadically.

• The caterpillars are spiny and when touched, cause irritation to the skin.
• To begin with, they feed gregariously on the leaves of castor and later spread over to the entire plant.

• The pest should be kept in check by picking the gregarious caterpillars and the cocoons which are found in numbers on tree trunks and destroying them in water with a film of kerosene.
• Spray chloropyriphos 2ml or Endosulphan 2ml or methyl parathion 1ml per litre of water if pest attack is more.

Scientific name : Dichocrosis punctiferalis

Order : Lepidoptera

Class : Pyralidae

• The pest is distributed throughout the plains and the hills of the Indian Union.

• Infestation starts from flowering stage. Usually active during Nov. - March

• The full-grown caterpillar is stout, reddish brown in colour and measures 15 to 25 mm. long. It pupates in a silken cocoon.

• The infested shoots and seed capsules may be collected and destroyed.

• Spray monocrotophos 1.6ml or Dimethiate 2ml or Quinolphos 2ml or Endosulphan 2ml or dust the spike with quinalphos (1.5%) or methylparathion (2%).
• Spraying can be done at flowering and 15-20 days later.

Scientific name : Trialeurodes ricini

Order : Homoptera

Class : Aleurodidae

• The castor white-fly is a pest of castor in some regions of our country.
• It is more commonly found in Bihar, Maharashtra, AndhraPradesh, Telangana and Tamilnadu.
• Sometimes the damage caused by this pest to castor crop is serious.

• More serious in summer months(March to May).
• Temperature of 30°C with high relative humidity favours multiplication of the pest.

• This makes the leaves appear sickly.
• Both the nymphs and the pupa are yellowish in colour.

• Predaceous spiders, coccinellid larvae and adults feed on the pest and a chalcid parasite parasitises the puparia.
• These should be conserved to keep the incidence of the pest in check.

• The damage of white flies may be kept down by spraying the infested plants with 0.05% malathion or monocrotophos (0.05%) chloropyrifos (0.05%).
• Early stages neem oil 5ml/lit can be spray on the under surface of the leaf. Stem applications with monocrotophos and seed treatment with Imidacloprid 5gm/kg seed may be done for control.

• 8-10 adults/leaf or 20 nymphs/leaf.

• Under severe infestation spray monocrotophos or phosalone or acephate or Dimethoate @ 1.5 ml/liter of water to cover thoroughly both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves.
• Same control measures for whitefly can be adopted for thrips also.

• Drying and dropping of leaves under severe conditions can be seen.
• Spray neem seed kernal extract (NSKE) 4% or triazophos @ 2.5ml/litre of water.