If any virus affected plant noticed in the field, remove and destroy it immediately and spray with any systematic insecticide to kill the insect vectors which spread the virus.
Pseudo-stem borer, Odoiporus longicollis
Bore holes on pseudostem Adult
Symptoms of damage
- Grub bore into pseudostem making tunnels
- Cutting holes on outer surface
- Exudation of plant sap – initial symptom
- Blackened mass comes out from the bore hole
- Tunneled part decomposes and pseudostem becomes weak
- Wilting of the plant.
Identification of pest
- Eggs – are laid at random on cut ends of pseudostem, yellowish-white, cylindrical in shape
- Grub – Apodous, creamy white with dark brown head.
- Pupa – pale yellow colour, fibrous cocoon formed inside the tunneling on the periphery
- Adult – Robust, reddish brown and black weevil.
Management
- Remove dried leaves periodically and keep the field clean
- Prune the side suckers every month
- Use healthy and pest free suckers to check the pest incidence
- Do not dump infested materials into manure pit
- Uproot infested trees, chop into pieces and burn
- Use longitudinally split pseudostem trap at 65/ha
- Spray monocrotophos 36 SL @ 0.036%
- Dilute 50 ml of monocrotophos 36 SL with 500 ml of water and inject 4ml in the pseudostem
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