Crop Protection Folder Series: 8 of 11 Common Name : Leafworm or Tobacco caterpillar veins in severe cases. They also attack flowers, buds and Authors Dr. S. Vennila English Version Local Name : Tambakhu khanari ali squares causing considerable loss. Dr. V. K. Biradar Scientific Name : Spodoptera litura Boisd. Symptoms: Division of Crop Protection Family : Noctuidae Skeletenisation resulting in papery appearance of leaves Central Institute for Cotton Research Order : Lepidoptera with only veins left out is the typical damage. Leaves Nagpur Pest Category : Foliage feeder Mr. M. Sabesh Central Institute for Cotton Research (R. S.) Description of Insect Stages: Coimbatore Egg: Each egg mass contains 300-350 eggs which are & arranged in rows up to three layers and are covered by Dr. O. M. Bambawale scales from the body of National Centre for Integrated Pest Management Know Your Cotton Insect Pests the females. New Delhi DEFOLIATORS Larva: Caterpillars are (Semi-looper, Leaf roller & Leaf worm) pale green with dark markings initially which later turn dark brown with numerous transverse and longitudinal bands. They Larva of Spodoptera Skeletonized foliage due to Spodoptera are gregarious at first but defoliate and shedding of squares with feeding holes later spread over the plant occur when larvae are in large numbers. and become brown to Life History: Published by grey brown or black with Egg, larva and pupal periods are 3-4, 13-20 and 8-10 days Dr. B. M. Khadi irregular spots and lines. respectively. Life cycle completed in 50-60 days. Director Seasonal Dynamics: Central Institute for Cotton Research Pupa: Pupae are dark Post Bag No. 2, Shankar Nagar P. O. b r o w n i n c o l o u r . The incidence occurs during the months of August, Nagpur 440 010 Pupaption occurs in soil. September and October coinciding with the grand growth Maharashtra Adult: The adult is stout period of the crop. The occasional nature of the with brownish forewings Moth of Spodoptera occurrence of this insect on cotton rendered its seasonal with paler lines along the veins, and pearly whitish hind incidence unrecorded. wings. Management of defoliators: Nature of Damage: In case of semi-looper, significant loss in leaf area occurs The larvae feed gregariously on the undersurface of the only when young plants are attacked. The population is leaves and skeletonize them leaving only the midrib and highly regulated by the parasitoids and the pathogens that Acknowledgement Produced under affect naturally. In endemic areas of leaf roller, all the Mrs. M. Chakrabarty Technology Mission on Cotton Scientist I/c, TMC-MM I Cell rolled leaves with larvae in them should be collected and Mini Mission I (3.1) Central Institute for Cotton Research destroyed during the early stage of attack by the pest. Nagpur Spread to neighboring plants should be minimized to nil that the plant stand is maintained. To monitor Spodoptera, Project on pheromone lures are available, however planting of few “IPM Implementation at Village Level for Production castor plants along the borders of the cotton fields serve as of Good Quality Cotton” Printing indicator plants for Spodoptera. Mudrashilpa Offset Printers No action thresholds exist for foliage feeders but Nagpur. Ph. 2231716 chemical treatments are needed if significant proportion Funded by of cotton plant stand is destroyed. Any one chemical Ministry of Agriculture option recommended for bollworm control should be Government of India March 2007 used in case of threat to crop stand. Gregarious feeding by Spodoptera Common Name : Semi-looper Seasonal Dynamics: Local Name : Unt ali Incidence of looper is high during the heavy rainfall Scientific Name : Anomis flava Fab. years. The seasonal means of the incidence during the last Family : Noctuidae 5 years revealed the lowest population of 3-4 larvae for Order : Lepidoptera every hundred plants during 2002 and the maximum of 2- Pest Category : Foliage feeder 3 larvae/plant during 2003. Looper is essentially an insect restricted to first three months of crop growth with its Description of Insect Stages: grand peak between 60 and 75 days of crop age. Egg: Eggs are spherical, ribbed about 0.5 mm in diameter. Overlapping generations are common. Four to five They are deposited anywhere on the cotton plant. Feeding holes due to semi-looper generations occur per season on cotton. Larva: Larva is a semi-looper having three pairs of prolegs on the 5th, 6th and They feed by chewing the leaves from margin towards the 10th abdominal segments. leaf veins. The caterpillars feed on tender shoots, buds Common Name : Leaf roller Leaf roller infested plant Fully grown larvae are and bolls, but occasionally. Local Name : Pane Gundalnari ali 25-30 mm long, pale Symptoms: Scientific Name : Sylepta derogata Fab. leaves and roll inwards up to the midrib into a trumpet Leaf area is eaten up from edges. Windows / holes on yellowish green with five Family : Pyraustidae shape fastened by means of silken thread and feed on leaf leaves are seen. Black faeces on leaf surface are common. white lines running Order : Lepidoptera tissues. The larvae remain inside the roll and feed outside Larvae found amidst the terminal part of the plant and longitudinally on the Pest Category : Foliage feeder the marginal portion of the leaves. Severe infestation Late instar larva of semi-looper dorsal surface, and with with looping movements. results in complete defoliation of the plant. six pairs of black and yellow spots on the back. The larvae Life History: Description of Insect Stages: Symptoms: Fecundity of the female is about 500-600 eggs. Upon are usually found on the lower leaf surface and are most Egg: Egg is round, smooth and pale white in colour. Leaves are folded downwards individually or in groups, hatching the smaller larvae drop to older leaves and start likely to be observed on Larva: The larva is glistening green in colour and semi- and larvae are seen in groups amidst faecal materials feeding from lower surface of the leaves. By mid growth the upper third of the translucent with dark brown head. They become pinkish inside the folds. Leaves at the bottom of the crop canopy stage larvae become gross leaf feeders consuming all the plant. before pupation. Fully-grown larva measures up to 22-30 mm. show symptoms at low infestation levels. Defoliation of Pupa: Pupae are obtect leaf tissues. Life cycle is completed within 28-42 days. Pupa: Pupa is reddish brown in colour and typical in the whole plant is seen under severe infestations. type, brownish and are Infestation spreads to neighbouring plants and hence the formed by folding leaf symptoms of the pest are patchy. The plants under shades margins on the plants. along the field borders are more vulnerable for the attack Pupae also occur in plant Pupa of semi-looper by the pest. debris. Life History: Adult: Adult is reddish Eggs are laid singly on the under surface of the leaves brown with forewings along the midribs and bigger veins. The moth lays as traversed by two dark many as 200 eggs. The egg, larval and pupal periods zigzag bands, while the occupy 2-3, 15-18 and 7-8 days, respectively. The larva hind wings are pale moults six times before pupation. Pupation takes place brown. mostly on the plants, inside the rolled leaves and Moth of Anomis Nature of Damage: sometimes on the shed leaves on the ground. The life Larva of leaf roller Outbreak of Anomis flava is often sporadic. The young cycle is completed in 23-53 days. larvae congregate in having eight spines with hooked tip at their extremity. Seasonal Dynamics: groups and move actively, Adult: Moth is medium sized with yellowish wings It is an important sporadic cotton pest. Damp and cloudy feed on the leaf lamina having series of brown wavy markings. They are delicate, weather are conducive to the growth and rapid making small punctures. 12.5 mm long and with a wing expanse of 25 mm. Head multiplication. In years of low temperature, high The grown up larvae feed and thorax are dotted black. humidity and more number of cloudy and rainy days, the voraciously leaving only Nature of Damage: incidence of the pest is generally high. Infestations occur The larvae feed on the lower surface of leaves when they the midrib and veins. in shady and weedy conditions. Leaf feeding by semi-looper are young and as they grow, they feed on the edges of