Symptoms of damage

• The larva bores inside the pod and feeds on the seeds within.

Identification of the pest

• Eggs: are laid singly on flowers, buds and pods. The eggs are minute in size. The egg period lasts  for 3 days.
• Larvae: Full grown larva is 28-35 mm long, brownish green in colour. The larval periods lasts for 14-15 days.
• Adult: Moths are yellowish brown in colour.

Management

• Conserve natural enemies like Bracon hebetor
• ETL 10% affected parts
• Deep summer ploughing in 2-3 years to eliminate quiescent pupa.
• Early sowing, short duration varieties.
• Avoid closer plant spacing.
• Grow tall sorghum as comparison crop to serve as biological bird perches
• Collect and destroy larvae and adults to the extent possible
• Install pheromone traps at a distance of 50 m @ 5 traps/ha for each insect pest.
• Install Bird perches @ 50/ha.
• Setting of light traps (1 light trap/5 acre) to kill moth population.
• Control is achieved by releasing of Trichogramma chlionis at weekly intervals @1.5 lakh/ha/ week for four times.
• Conserve green lacewing, predatory stink bugs, spider, ants
• Application of NPV 250 LE /ha with teepol 0.1% and Jaggery 0.5% thrice at 10 – 15 days interval commencing from flowering stage. (Note: Insecticide / Ha NPV spray should be applied when the larvae are in early stage).
• Bt @ 600 g, neem oil/ pungum oil 80 EC @ 2ml/lit
• Spray NSKE 5% twice followed by triazophos 0.05%.
• Apply any one of insecticides at 25 kg/ha quinalphos 4D, carbaryl 5D
• Spray insecticide Quinalphos 25 EC @ 1000 ml/ha.