Wood Apple

Fruit borer

Symptoms of damage

Caterpillar bores into young fruits and feeds on internal contents (pulp and seeds)

Fruit rotting and dropping

Identification of pest

Larvae: Dark brown, short and stout, covered with short hairs

Adult: Bluish brown butterfly, female has V shaped patch on forewing

Adult

Management

Collect and destroy damaged fruits

Clean cultivation as weed plants serve as alternate hosts

Endemic areas - grow less susceptible varieties

Cover the fruit with polythene bags when the fruits are up to 5 cm

Use light trap @ 1/ ha to monitor the activity of adults

Malathion 50 EC 0.1% or two rounds, one at flower formation and next at fruit set

Flowering stage - spray NSKE 5% or neem formulations 2 ml/l

Apply dimethoate 30 EC 1.5 ml/l

Release Trichogramma chilonis at one lakh/acre

Citrus butterfly

Symptoms of damage

Caterpillar feed on the leaves

Defoliation

Identification of pest

Larvae: Early stage larva resembles bird dropping. Grown up larva – cylindrical, stout, green and brown lateral bond

Adult: Dark brown swallowtail butterfly with numerous yellow marking

Young larva

Grown up larva

Adult

Management

Hand pick the larvae and destroy

Early stage - spray 2 ml of methyl parathion per litre of water

Field release of parasitoids Trichogramme evanescens and Telenomus sp on eggs of Brachymeria sp on larvae and Pterolus sp. on Pupae