UNIT Pests of Field Crops

and their Management

11.1 DAMAGE AND MANAGEMENT OF PESTS OF CEREALS

1. Damage and management of major pests of rice

Insect pest Family : Damage symptoms Specific management

Order practices

Clipping of tip of
Yellow stem borer, Pyralidae Monophagous pest of
seedlings before
Sciropophaga incertulas | Lepidoptera rice
Larvae bore into the transplanting to

central shoots and eliminate egg masses

tillers and cause dead| Installation of

hearts in young plant pheromone traps for
and drying of panicle monitoring
or white ear in older| Release of egg
plants parasitoids,
Trichogramma
japonicum 50,000
ha at weekly intervals
Need based
application of
triazophos or
quinalphos
Maggots enter into Removing of grasses
Gall fly, Orseolia oryzae Cecidomyiidae growing shoot and and other alternate
Diptera lacerate the leaf tissue hosts
They produce galls on Careful timing of
the basal portion of the planting
central leaf or on the Use only
tillers recommended doses
These galls become of nitrogenous
hollow giving a silvery fertilizers
shine called silver Uprooting stubbless
shoot/onion leaf in rice with deep ploughing
364| Handbook of Entomology
soon after harvest
Seedling root dip in
0.02 % chlorpyriphos
Relaese of larval
parasitoid,
Platygaster oryzae
adults Closer spacing should
Brown plant hopper Delphacidae Nymphs and
congregate at the base be avoided
Nilaparvata lugens Hemiptera
of the stem just above Alternate wetting and
water level ying of paddy fields
Heavy infestation Adopt planting with
causes yellowing and formation of alleys of
drying of plant leading 25 cm at intervals of
to condition known as 2 mts to provide
hopper burn" good aeration and
It transmits grassy stunt sunlight
hopess -gf virus Use of light traps
Release of
Cyrtorhinus
lividipennis50-75
eggs per square meter
at 10 days interval
and 3 predatory
spiders, Lycosa
pseudoannulata per
hill

White backedplant Delphacidae Nymphs and adults suck Closer spacing should
hopper, Sogatella Hemiptera cell sap particularly from be avoided
furcifera the leaf sheath Alternate wetting and
Symptoms start from leaf drying of paddy fields
tips and move Use of light traps
downwards Release of
Drying of young plants
and
Cyrtorhinus
in severe lividipennis @ 50-75
infestation, hopper burn eggs per square meter
symptoms are observed at 10 days interval

Green leaf hopper, Cicadellidae: It lays eggs under the Closer spacing should
Nephotettix nigropictus Hemiptera epidermis of leaf sheath be avoided
and N.virescens Nymphs and adults suck Avoid excessive use
the sap and infested of nitrogenous
leaves turn brown fertilizers
I t is a vector of tungro Maintain weed free
 Unit 11: Pests of Field
Crops and their Management 365
virus field bunds
Use of light traps
Release of
Cyrtorhinus
lividipennis 50-75
eggs per square meter
at 10 days interval

Caseworm, Nymphula Pyraustidae: Leaf cases hanging from Passing of the rope
depunctalis Lepidoptera rice leaf and cut leaf over the crop helps
bits floating in water in dislodging of case
The larvae feed by worms
Scraping the Draining of water from
undersurface of the leaf the field
blade leaving the upper Need based spray of
epidermis intact, quinalphos or
resulting in white moncrotophos
patches on leaf blades

Leaf folder, Cnapholocris Pyraustidae: Larvae folds leaf Judicious application

medinalis
|Lepidoptera marginally and feeds the of fertilizers
fold leaves by scraping Light trapping of
chlorophyll adults
Development of Remove grass weeds
longitudinal white from bunds
lines in leaves Need based
The scraped leaves application of
become membranous, quinalphos or
turn white and finally triazophos
wither

Paddy earhead bug or Coreidae: Individual rice grains Installation of light

gundhi bug, Leptocorisa Hemiptera become white and
acuta chaffy
Buggy odour in rice
fields during milky stage
Water spot appears at
the point of puncture
and becomes brown
with center white
traps
Collection of adults
with net and
destroying them
Removal of weeds and
other alternate hosts
Dusting of carbaryl or
malthion 5%@25 kg/
ha

Rice White parallel streaks Clip off the infested

hispa, Dicladispa Chyrsomelidae:
along leaf axis in rice leaf tips and destroy
armigera Coleoptera
(looks like ladder) Flood the nursery
Grubs mine into leaves beds, Sweep the
366 Handbook of Entomology

and cause blotches floating beetles and

T h e damage starts in destroy
nursery and spreads to Need based
rice fields application of methyl
parathioon

Rice thrips, Thripidae; Marginal rolling in rice Dusting of carbaryl

Stenchaetothrips Thysanoptera seedlings 5 % or malathion 5%
biformis Nymphs and adults @25 kg ha
lacerate the leaf tissue and
in severe infestation
seedlings die

Rice grass hopper, Acrididae: Nibbling of rice ear head
Hieroglyphus banian Orthoptera and defoliation leaving
midrib in rice
Formation of white ears
(chaffyness)
Trimming the bunds
Dust carbaryl 5 % or
malathion 5% @25 kg
/ha
 Unit 11 : Pests of Field Crops and their Management 367

2 Damage and management of major pests of wheat

2

Insect pest Family Damage symptoms Specific management

Order practicees

Termites, Termitidae Workers feed in Frequent intercultural1

Microtermus obesi Isoptera semicircular fashion on operations and irrigation
Odontotermes wheat leaf margin and before sowing
obesus roots partially eaten Field sanitation, timely
They attack standing disposal of crop stubbles
crop especially during and undecomposed plant
the period of drought parts
Destroy the termite bunds
in and around the field
and kill the queen
Seed treatment with
chlorpyriphos
Formation of dead heart Installation of pheromone
Stem borer, Noctuidae
in the wheat central traps for monitoring
Sesamia inferens Lepidoptera
shoot Release of egg parasitoids,
Trichogramma japonicum
50,000/ ha at weekly
intervals
Need based application of
triazophos or quinalphos

Wheat aphid, Aphididae: They suck sap from the Need

dimethoate
based spray
or
of
methyl
ears and tender leaves
Macrosiphum Hemiptera and decrease the yield oxydemeton
miscanthi of the crop
Damage is severe in
cold weather

The adults feed on Dusting of carbaryl 5 %

Ghujhia weevil, Curculionidae: leaves and tender shoots or malathion 5%
@ 25 kg
Tanymecus indicus Coleoptera cut the ha
Weevils
seedlings at the ground
level
368 Handbook of Entomology

3. Damage and management of major pests of sorghum

Insect pest Family: Damage symptoms Specific management

Order practices
Sorghum shoot fly, Muscidae; Maggots cause dead Early sowing of sorghum
Atherigona soccata Diptera heart in young sorghum crop (June - July)
crop with more side tillers| Growing of resistant
varieties such as CHS-7,
CHS-8 and IS -5566
Higher seed rate
Fish meal trap
Application of granular
insecticides such as
carbofuran 3G and phorate
10 G in whorls

Jowar stem borer, Crambidae Dead heart in Uprooting and burning of

Chilo partellus
early stage
Lepidoptera of crop the stubbles and
Reddening of sorghum chopping of stems
midrib Need - based application
Pinholes on the whorl of of carbo furan 3G 8
newly opened leaves kg/ ha

Sorghum midge, Cecidomyiidáe Maggots feed on the Collect and burn the
Contarinia Diptera ovary infested panicles
sorghicola Pupal case observed in Uniform sowing ofsimilar
between glumes of maturity sorghum cultivars
Sorghum grain over large areas
Red ooze comes out when Destruction of wild host
the plants including Johnson
developing seed in sorghum
the spikelets are pressed grass and
with fingers volunteers
Growing resistant varieties
like SPH 837, with
heads
Dusting of
ear

endosulfan or carbary

Earhead bug, Miridae of open

-

type
Calocoris Nymphs and adults suck Growing
Hemiptera the milky panicle varieties
angustatus juice of the reduviid bug and
grain prior to ripening Conserve

Severe infestation causes a lygaeid bugs

Dusting with carbaryl
chaffyness of ear head
 Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and their Management 369
Need based spray o f
malathion or endosulfan

Shoot bug, Delphacidae Nymphs and adults suck Growing of open - type
Perigrimus maidis Hemiptera the sap from leaves panicle varieties
The leaves become yellow Conserve natural enemies
and growth of plant is Dusting of carbaryl
retarded Need based spray of

In festation favours malathion or endosulfan

development of sooty
mould

4. Damage and management of major pests of maize

Insect pest Family Damage symptoms Specific management

Order practices
Pink borer Noctuidae Larvae chew the stem Uprooting and burning of
Sesamia inferens Lepidoptera and epidermal layer of the stubbles and
the sheath chopping of .stems
Whorl feeding of larvae Intercropping maize with
results in rows of soybean
oblong holes Clipping of lower leaves
of maize
Need based application
of carbofuran 3G@ 8
kg/ha
Maize stem borer, Pyralidae: Dead heart in early stage Ploughing the field after
Chilo partellus Lepidoptera of crop harvest and destroy
Reddening of sorghum stubbles, weeds and other
midrib alternate hosts
Pinholes on the whorl Destruction of infected
of newly opened plant sand removal of
leaves dead hearts
Release of Trichogramma
chilonis @1,00,000 per ha
at 10-15 days interval
Installation of pheromone
traps

cobworm, Helicoverpa | Noctuidae: Caterpillars feed on Deep summer ploughing

armigeraa Lepidopetra tender grains and bores Installation of pheromone
370 Handbook of Entomology

into cob
traps @10/ha for
.Italso feeds on silk and
monitoring
developing cobs Erection of bird
Spray of Ha-NPV perches
at 250
LE with
adjuvant
like
teepol, tinopal and jaggery
etc.
Spray of B.t.k. @1.5 k
ha

11.2 DAMAGE AND MANAGEMENT OF MAJOR PESTS

OF OILSEEDS

Insect pest Family Damage symptoms Specific management

Order practices

Groundnut

Early instars skeletonize Deep ploughing during

Red hairy Arctiidae April - May
Late instars cause total
caterpillar, Amsacta Lepidoptera defoliation leaving only Intercropping wth cow
albistriga
Aociea midribs pea
Set up the light traps to
attract and kill
the moths
Vegetative trapping of
larvae by
migratory
Jalropha
keeping twigs of
or Calotropis
AaNPV @ 200LE
Spray stage
instar
acre at third

Intercropping with

Ground nut leaf Gelechidae Larvae mines into the

soybean mone

miner, Aproaeremna Lepidoptera leaves Installation ofpheromofor

modicella White blotches are @25/ ha
traps
produced Trichogramma
monitoring

Webbing and drying of

terminal leaf lets in
chilonis
Release @50000/ha, w

interva
days of
groundnut t
fio
m l le
at
osw e d
7-10
by releasnl
e

hebetor @S0

7-10
days
Bracon at
times

two
la
cowpe

with

ntercropping

Groundnutaphid, Aphididae: Yellowing aand distorted

 Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and their Management 371

Aphis craccivora Hemiptera terminal shoots Installation of yellow

Adults and nymphs sticky traps
congregate on groWing Seed treatment with
tips and foliage and imidacloprid (5 g/kg
desap plants resulting | seed)
in chlorotic patches Release predator
and curling of leaves Chrysoperla carnea or

Acts as vector of peanut Coccinella

stripe virus disease septumpunctata or

Syrphus/Scymnus sp.
Need based spray of
monocrotophos or methyl
demeton

Root grubs, Melolonthidae: Wilting of groundnut Field should be ploughed

plants in patches with from the end of April to
Holotrichia Coleoptera
damaged roots middle of May
consanguinea,
H. serrata Mechanical control by
large scale collection and
destruction of adults at
the time of their mass
emergence
Use of light traps and
synthetic pheromone traps
for monitoring
Seed treatment with
chlorpyriphos 20 EC or
quinalphos 25 EC at 25
ml/kg
P r e sowing soil treatment
with phorate 10 G at 25
kg /ha or quinalphos 5 G
at 30 kg/ha

Adults and nymphs Intercropping with cow

Groundnut thrips, Thripidae lacerate and feed on leaf
Thysanoptera pea
Frankliniella
surface Seed treatment with
schultzei, Yellow patches on upper imidacloprid
Scirtothrips surface and brown Release
dorsalis
predators such as
necrotic patches on Chrysoperla carnea or
lower surface and in Coccinella
severe the leaves curl septumpunctata
up Need basedapplication of
Acts as vector of peanut monocrotophos or
bud necrosis virus metasystox
disease
372 HHandbook of Entomology

Tobacco caterpillar, Noctuidae Freshly hatched Growing of castor as trap

Spodoptera litura Lepidoptera caterpillars feed crop
gregariously by scraping Mechanical collection of
the chlorophyll, later egg masses

disperse, feed nstallation of light traps

voraciously at night on Installation of pheromone
the foliage traps@10/ha for
monitoring
Release Trichogramma
chilonis @ 50000/ha, two
times at 7-10 days interval
followed by release of
Bracon hebetor @ 5000/
ha two times at 7-10 days
Spray of S-NPV @ 250LE
ha

Leaf hopper, Cicadellidae Nymphs and adults suck Setting of yellow sticky
Empoasca kerri Hemiptera sap from young leaves traps
The leaves later turn Intercropping with cow
into yellowish brown pea
and curl downwards Seed treatment with
Vshaped yellowing at imidacloprid
the tips Need basedapplication of
monocrotophos or
metasystox
Termites, Termitidae: Workers cause wilting Destroy the termite bunds
Odontotermes Isoptera and death of the
obesus plant in and around the field
Workers sometimes feed and kill the queen
on pod
Deep ploughing before
SOwing and mulching of
crops with mustard straws
Application of the
entomo-pathogenic fungus
Metarhizium anisopliae
at the time planting
Use of chlorpyriphos 10
G as a soil treatment
Seed dressing with
chlorpyriphos 20 EC
12.5 ml/ kg seed
 Unit 11: Pests
of Field Crops and their Management | 373

Mustard

Mustard aphid, Aphididae: Nymphs and adults suck Avoid late sowing and
Lipaphis erisymi Hemiptera sap from leaves and excessive use of nitrogen
twigs fertilizers
Curly leaf tip with poor The crop should be sown
pod set in mustard before 20th October
Three rounds of manual
removal/ clipping of aphid
infested twigs
Release predatobr
Chrysoperla carnea or
Coccinella
septumpunctata or

Syrphus Scymnus sp.

Need based spray of
dimethoate 30 EC or
methyl demeton 25 EC

Mustard sawfly, Tenthredinidae: Initially the larva Summer ploughing to

Athalia lugens Hymenoptera nibbles leaves, later it destroy the pupa
proxima feeds from the margins Early sowing should be
towards the midrib done
They devour the Maintain clean cultivation
epidermis of the shoot, Apply irrigation in
resulting in drying up seedling stage is very
of seedlings and failure crucial for sawfly
to bear seeds in older management because most
plants of the larvae die due to
drowning effect
Use of bitter
gourd seed
oil emulsion as on anti-
feedant
Castor

Young larvae feed

Bihar hairy Arctiidae Deep summer ploughing
caterpillar, Lepidoptera gregariously mostly on Timely sowing and clean
the under surface of the
Spilosoma obliqua cultivation
leaves
Intercropping with pigeon
Caterpillars feed on pea at a row ratio of 2:1
leaves and in severe Mechanical collection and
infestation the whole destruction of larvae
crop is defoliated.
Spray with NSKE 5%
Drying up of infected Release parasitoids like
374 Handbook of Entomology

leaves is the main Charops obtusus

symptom
Castor semilooper, Noctuidae: The caterpillars feed Deep summer
Achaea janata Lepidoptera voraciously leaving only .
Collection
ploughing
of
midribs of caterpillars
destruction
With loss of foliage seed Need based
yield is reduced application of
diazinon
Castor capsule Pyralidae
borer, Dichocrocis Caterpillar feeds on the Infested shoots and
Lepidoptera heads and cause capsules are collected and
punctiferalis
webbing of capsule | destroyed
heads Need based spray of
carbaryl
Whitefly Aleurodidae: Nymphs and adults suck
Trialeurodes ricini Hemiptera Setting up yellow pan
sap from lower part of sticky traps at various
leaves
places
Release Chrysoperla
carnea @ 2-4 larvae!
plant
Release Cheilomenes
sexmaculata @1.5 lakh
adults/ha at random
Need based spray of
methyl demeton or

acephate or trizophos or
profenophos
Castor slug, Limacodidae:
Parasa lepida Caterpillars feed Need based
Lepidoptera application of
gregariously by scarping| endosulfan
the undersurface of
leaves
the
Vitality of the plants is
reduced
Defoliation and drying
of leaves
Sunflower
Sunflower head Noctuiidae: The larva feeds
borer, Helicoverpa Lepidoptera on the Use of pheromone traps
armigera developing seeds and (4 traps/ acre)
bore the head
Setting of light traps and
The larva consumes
in
leaf bird perches 10/acre
early stage of growth| Use of Ha-NPV @250LE
and move towards the ha
 Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and their Management 375

capitulum and tunnel Spray of B.t.k @1.5 kg/ha

the head Release parasitoids like
Trichogramma spp.
(50,000/acre), Bracon spp.
and Campoletis spp.

Sesame

Leaf webber, roller Pyralidae:

and capsule borer,
The young larvae roll Early sowing of crop
Lepidoptera together a few top Intercrop with mungbean,
Antigastra leaves and feed pearl millet, urdbean and
catalaunalis In the early stage of moth bean
infestation, the plant Removal of larvae from
dies without producing the leaf webs during the
any branch or shoot initial stages of plant
In later stage of attack, growth
infested shoots stop Need based application of
growing quinalphos or deltamethrin
At flowering, larvae feed
inside the flowers and
on capsule formation;
larvae bore into capsule
and feed on developing
seeds

Hawk moth, Sphingidae; Caterpillars feed on the Deep ploughing exposes

Acherontia styx Lepidoptera leaves and defoliate the the for
pupae predation
plant to insectivorous birds
It remains active through Hand picking collection
out the crop season and destruction of
caterpillars
Use egg parasite
Anastatus acherontiae

Linseed gall fly, Cecidomyiidae: Maggots feed on buds | Avoid late sowing
Dasyneura sesami Diptera and flowers Setting up of light traps
No formation of pods for killing the adults
The infested buds should
be removed and
destroyed
Use larval parasite
Pteromalus fasciatus
Need based spray at bud
initiation stage with
dimethoate 0.03% or
endosulfan 0.079%
 Handbook of Entomology
376

Sesame gall fly, Cecidomyiidae: Maggots feed inside the Use resistant tolerant
floral bud leading to varieties such
Asphondylia sesami|Diptera formation of gall like Swetha Til,
as
RT-46
RT- 103,
structure which does 108, RT- 125 and RT- RT.
not develop in to
127
Intercrop with mung bean,
flower /capsules pearl millet and groundnut
The affected buds wither Clip the galls, pick and
and drop burn the shed buds
Use larval parasitoids
such as
Eurytoma
dentipectus and Bracon
hebetor

Safflower
Safflower caterpillar, Noctuidae: The larva feeds on the Intercropping with non-
Perigaea capensis Lepidoptera leaves and sometimes on host crop like wheat
capitulum should be done
It also feeds on bracts, Excessive application of
flowers and capsules nitrogen should be
avoided
The caterpillars should be
hand collected and then
killed
Release of braconids and
eulophids
Capsule fly/ Tephritidae:
Safflower bud fly, Maggots feed on soft Timely sowing ofthe crop
Diptera parts of the capsules Clean cultivation
Acanthiophilus and thalamus Early removal and
helianthi
The infested buds rot
destruction of infected
U and give an offensive flower buds
smelling fluid Use of light traps
Safflower, aphid,
Uroleucon Aphididae: Installation of yellow
Hemiptera Nymphs and adults
compositae found in groups and sticky traps
suck the
p r e d a t o r

sap from Release or

leaves and capsules Chrysoperla carnea

Coccinella
septumpunctata o
Syrphus/ Scymnus spo
s p r a y

Need based thyl

monocrotophos or me

demeton