E: 20004- Sandeep (Preview) Indian Journal of Entomology, Review Article (2020) DoI No.: FIRST REPORT OF FRUIT BORER CADRA CAUTELLA (WALKER) ON BER IN PUNJAB SANDEEP SINGH*, P R SHASHANK1 AND RAJWINDER KAUR SANDHU Department of Fruit Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004 1Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi110012 *Email:
[email protected] (corresponding author) ABSTRACT A study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of new insect pests in the ber orchards in Punjab during 2017 and 2018. The infestation of fruit borer, Cadra cautella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was observed in ber fruits at Fruit Research Farm, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during November-December. About 10% fruits of variety Sanaur were observed to be infested by black larvae making tunnels inside fruits. The pest is widespread in the stored conditions infesting stored cereals, dry fruits in warehouses but as far as field is concerned, this is the first report of field infestation of ber fruits from Punjab as well as in India. Key words: Fruit borer, ber, Punjab, Cadra cautella, Pyralidae, new report, fruits, tunnels, leaf and fruit webbing, distribution, hosts, diagnosis The ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.) is one of the eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata (Walker); most ancient cultivated fruit trees of north India. It is leaf roller, Psorosticha zizyphi (Stainton); American believed to be originated in Indo-Malaysian region of bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner); castor South-East Asia (Janick and Paull, 2008) and is widely semilooper, Achaea (=Acanthodelta) janata Linnaeus; cultivated from southern Africa to Indian subcontinent, castor capsule borer, Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenee); China, Indomalaya, Australia and Pacific Islands.