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Crop Protection :: Oil Seeds :: Pest of Mustard

Diamondback moth: Plutella xylostella


Symptoms of damage:

  • Whitish patches due to scrapping of epidermal leaf tissues by young larvae
  • The leaves give a withered appearance but in later stages larvae bore holes in the leaves
  • It also bores into pods and feeds developing seed

Identification of the pest:

  • Larva: Yellowish green, with fine erect black hairs scattered all over the body 
  • Adult: Small greyish brown adult having pale whitish narrow wings with yellow inner margins. Forewings have three white triangular spots along the inner-margin, triangular markings of opposite wings appear as diamond shaped. Hind wings have a fringe of long fine hairs

Management:

  • Installing pheromone trap @5/ac. to monitor the moth activity
  • Collection and careful destruction of the larvae at gregarious stage at least twice a week
  • Conserve Cotesia plutellae, as it is an important parasitoid for diamond back moth. Diadegma insulare is also the most important parasitoid of the diamondback moth
  • For control of grown up larvae apply 5% malathion dust @37.5 kg/ha
Bore holes
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Adult

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