Shoot and fruit borer in Brinjal: Symptoms and Control

Deepali Tewari Pandey, GBPUAT

 

Symptoms/ Damage

• The most destructive pest of brinjal
• Infests the crop both in vegetative and fruiting stage of the plant.
• The pest is active throughout the year at places having moderate climate but its activity is adversely affected by severe cold.
• Eggs are laid singly on ventral surface of the leaves, shoots, flower buds and occasionally on fruits.
• In young plants, the caterpillar bore into petioles and mid ribs of large leaves and young tender shoots, close the entry point with excreta and feed within. . As a result the affected leaves dry and drop down while in case of shoots, the growing point is killed. In later stage caterpillars bore into flower bud and fruits.

Control:

• Use less susceptible varieties like Punjab Barsati, Arka Kasumkar, PPC, Punjab Neelam.
• Soil treatment with carbofuran @ 30 kg ai/ha at the time of transplanting.
• Foliar spray with insecticide such as Cypermethrin @ 50 g ai/ha, First spray for fruit borer should commensurate with 50% flowering.
• Clipping and destruction of infested shoots along with the larvae at 15 days interval.