ENT-506

Agricultural Pests and Their Management

 Aphid Aphis gossypii (Aphididae; Hemiptera)
Host Plants: Cotton, okra, Brinjal, Chilies, Guava
Identification
Adult:
▪ Small 2 mm long, Yellow or Greenish brown in color
▪ Soft-bodied insects, winged or wingless
▪ Pair or small tubular structure projecting out from
dorsal surface of the posterior region of the body
known as cornicals.
▪ Viviparous or parthenogenetically reproduced
▪ Aphids found in colonies

Damage
▪ Feed cell sap from tender and soft plant parts.
▪ Black sooty mold develops on honeydew secreted
by aphids.
▪ Stunted growth, leaf curl up and wither.
▪ Gradual death of plants
 ETL: spray on visible damage

Management
Cultural control
▪ Clean cultivation and removal of weeds
▪ Use of Cotton hairy varieties.
Biological control
▪ Use of predators LLB, and parasitoids like A.
mali
Chemical control
Imidacloprid(20%SL) 200ml /acre
Thiamethoxam(25WG) 24g /acre
Bifenthrin(10%EC) 200ml /acre
Acephate(75%WP) 300g /acre
 Jassid Amarasca biguttula biguttula (Cicadellidae; Hemiptera)
Host Plants: Cotton, potato, tomato, brinjal, okra, hollyhock, sunflower
Identification
Adult:
▪ Greenish yellow, winged, two black spots on tips of
forewings , 3mm in size, jump on disturbance.
Egg:
▪ Yellowish white , 25-30 Egg , 4-11 days hatching
Nymph:
▪ greenish yellow and Wedge shaped , 5 instars
Damage
Both nymphs and adults suck the sap and inject toxins
▪ Tender leaves turn yellow with reddish spots
▪ leaf margins curl downwards (cup shaped appearance)
▪ brick red color “hopper burn”.
▪ Crop growth retarded.
▪ Boll formation reduced
▪ Lint quality deteriorated
 ETL: 1 adult /nymph per leaf

Management
Cultural control:
▪ Clean cultivation and removal of weeds
▪ Use of Cotton hairy varieties
Biological control:
▪ Use of predators such as chrysoperla
Chemical control:
Dinutefuran(20SG) 100g /acre
Nitenpyram(10%AS) 200ml /acre
Acephate(75%WP) 300g /acre
Imidacloprid(20%SL) 200ml /acre
 Whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Aleyrodidae; Homoptera)
Host Plants: Cotton, tomato, tobacco, sweet potato, cauliflower, okra etc
Identification
Adult:
Yellowish white, pure white wings, body yellow covered with
white powder.
Egg:
Creamy white , 100-150 stalked Eggs , Hatching: 3-5 days
Nymph:
Pale yellow and wingless
Pseudopupa formation is a distinctive character of white fly.
Damage
Nymphs and adults suck the sap from the under surface of
leaves.
▪ leaves turn yellow and fall off, development of sooty
mold (photosynthesis interference)
▪ Injection of toxic saliva (physiological disorder).
▪ It also transmits the more than 50 viral diseases.
(CLCV)
 ETL: 5 adult or nymph per leaf

Management
Cultural control:
▪ Clean cultivation and removal of weeds
▪ Use of Cotton hairy varieties
Biological control:
▪ Use of predators such as chrysoperla & LLB
▪ Encarsia spp. Is good parasitoid.
Chemical control:
Flonicamid(50%WG) 60g /acre
Buprofezin(25%WP) 600g /acre
Pyriproxyfen(10.8%EC) 400ml /acre
Imidacloprid(20%SL) 250ml /acre
Diafenthiuron(500SC) 250ml/ acre
Spirotetramat(240SC) 120+250ml/acre
Acetamirprid(20%SP) 125g/acre
 Thrips Thrips tabaci (Thripidae; Thysonoptera)
Host: Banana, Rose, Citrus , Cotton, Soybean, Beans
Identification
Adult:
Slender, yellowish brown, Size 1mm, Males are apterous
while while female have long, narrow wings with hair
fringes (stripy).
Egg:
white kidney Shape, laid Inside the plants tissues.
Nymph:
Nymphs resemble the adults but are slightly smaller and
wingless.

Damage
Both adults and nymphs cause damage to cotton plants.
▪ Attacked leaves become silvery white, wrinkle, and
fall off.
▪ Crumpled cup shaped leave (upward)
▪ Plant bear very few balls.
▪ Cotton production is reduced.
 ETL: 8-10 adult or nymph per leaf

Management
Cultural control:
▪ Clean cultivation and removal of weeds
▪ Use of Cotton hairy varieties
Biological control:
▪ Use of predators such as predatory mites
Chemical control:
Chlorfenapyr(10.8%EC) 200ml /acre
Acephate(75%SP) 330g /acre
Spintoram(125SC) 50ml /acre
*Solvigo(108SC) 500ml /acre
Dimethoate(40EC) 400ml /acre
Note: Solvigo= Thiamethoxam+abamectin
 Spotted Bollworm Earias Insulana, Earias vitella ( Noctudae;
Lepidoptera)
Host plants: Cotton, bhendi, holly hock, Hibiscus
Identification
Adult:
Yellowish white, winged, 25 mm in size across wings.
E. insulana complete green forewings while E. vitella have
longitudinal green band in the middle of forewing, hind
wings straw color
Egg:
Colour: greenish blue No: 200-400 Eggs
Larvae:
6 instars, E. Insulana larvae is greenish white with black
spots on body and orange dots on prothoracic segment. E.
Vittella larva is brownish with a median longitudinal streak
on dorsal side and ventral side usually pale yellow or
greenish.
Pupa:
pupate on fallen leaves and plamts.
Actaive period: March-Nov
Damage:
▪ boring of terminal portion (dying/withering)
▪ boring of squares, flowers, and fruits
▪ Feeding hole plugged by excreta
▪ Sheding of fruiting bodies
▪ premature bol opening
▪ lower ginning percentage

ETL: 3 larvae/25 plants

Management
Cultural control:
▪ Plough in or burn old crop debris.
▪ Use resistant varieties.
Biological control:
Parasitoid wasp Campoletis chlorideae
Chemical control:
Deltamethrin(2.5%EC) 500ml /acre
Cypermethrin(10%EC) 500ml /acre
Lambda-cyhalothrin(2.5EC) 330ml /acre
Pink Bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Gelechiidae; Lepidoptera)
Host Cotton, bhendi, holly hock, Hibiscus cannabinus
Identification
Adult:
Dark brown, Winged with fringes and black spots on
forewings, 8-9 mm in size across wing.
Egg:
creamy white , No: 150-250 Eggs
Larvae:
4 instars, 4th instar larve is pinkish.
PUPA: pupate in bolls, ground debris, fallen leaves.
Actaive period: March-Nov
Damage
▪ Rosette flowers formation
▪ Double seeds formation
▪ Shedding of squares, flowers,
▪ Reduce lint quality.
 ETL: 5 larvae/100 bolls

Management
Cultural control:
▪ Plough in or burn old crop debris.
▪ Use resistant varieties.
▪ Grazing of harvested crop
Biological control:
Parasitoid wasp Campoletis chlorideae
Chemical control:
Triazophos(40%EC) 1000ml /acre
Spinetoram(125SC) 80ml /acre
Gama-cyhalothrin(60CS) 100ml /acre
Deltaphos(50%EC) 500ml /acre
Deltamethrin(2.5EC) 250ml /acre
American Bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Noctudae; Lepidoptera)
Host: Cotton, Sorghum, soybean, peas, sunflower, safflower, chilies, groundnut,
tobacco, Okra, maize, tomato.
Identification
Adult:
Yellowish brown, black kidney Shape mark on
underside of fore Wings
Egg:
White, dome Shape , 1000-1500 Eggs/female
Larvae:
Greenish with dark broken grey lines along the sides.
PUPA:
pupate in soil, dark brown.
Active period: March-Nov

ETL: 5 eggs/larvae per 25 plants

Damage
▪ Feed on leaves, squares, flowers and small bolls.
▪ Prominent hole in the bolls
▪ They feed the internal content completely by thrusting
their head inside leaving the rest of the body hanging
outside.
▪ Dirty faeces around the attacked bolls
▪ Fruit and flowers shedding

Management
Cultural control:
▪ Clean cultivation.
▪ Avoid alternate host plants
▪ Use resistant varieties.
Biological control:
Ichneumonid wasps (Biological control)
Chemical control:
Emamectin benzoate(19EC) 200ml /acre
Chlorantraniliprole(20%SC) 80ml /acre
 Army worm Spodoptera litura (Nuctuidae; Lepidoptera)
Host Plants: Grasses, cereals, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and weeds
Identification
Adult:
pale brown, a prominent white dot near the center of the
front wings, forewings with greyish brown pattern. They
are active at night, the wing-spread is about 1-1.5 inches
Larva:
Dull white or pale green in the start and later on greenish
brown
Egg:
150 eggs, Lay singly in rows, Eggs round, greenish when
freshly laid, Pale yellow-finally black
Pupa:
Brownish
ETL: on appearance
Damage:
▪ Freshly emerged larvae feed on tender leaves. As
they grow, they feed on older leaves.
▪ Skeletonize the plants
▪ Prominent fecal pellets
▪ Field looks like grazed by animals in the end

Management
Cultural control:
▪ Clean cultivation.
▪ Avoid alternate host plants
▪ Use resistant varieties.
Biological control:
Apenteles parasitic wasps
Chemical control:
Lufenuron(50EC) 200ml /acre
Methoxyfenozide(240SC) 200ml /acre
 Cotton Mealy Bug Phenacoccus solenopsis (Pseudococcidae;
Hemiptera)
Host plants: Cotton, brinjal, okra, tomato, sunflower
Identification
Adult:
Scale insect about the size of a small red ant. Female
wingless. White cotton like wax covers the female’s reddish
body.
Eggs:
Freshly laid eggs are orange but turn pink just prior to hatch.
Nymph:
Small, resembles with adult, lacking white cottony wax.
Damage
▪ Feeds on sap of the plants and release toxic substance.
▪ Also attack the roots at the junction of root and stem.
▪ Crinkled or twisted leaves and shoots, unopened flowers.
▪ Branched and unopened leaves, distorted or bushy shoots.
▪ White fluffy mass on buds, stems, fruits and roots.
▪ Presence of honey dew, black sooty mold, and ants.
▪ Small deformed fruits.
 ETL: on appearance

Management
Cultural control:
Clean cultivation and removal of weeds.
Severely infested plants cut and burnt immediately.
Biological control:
Aenasius bambawalei
Chemical control:
Chlorpyrifos(40%EC) 1000ml
Profenofos(50%EC) 800ml
Bifenthrin(10%EC) 250ml