Spotted pod borer

Spotted pod borer

Maruca vitrata Fabricius is commonly known as spotted pod borer due to presence of black spots on each segment of cream coloured larva. The pest is emerging as an important pest of urdbean crop in recent years. Besides, urdbean, it infests green gram, cowpea, pigeonpea and lablab. The larva webs the flowers, leaves and developing pods together and feeds the flower, flower buds and pods from inside the web. The number of pods drastically reduces due to spotted pod borer infestation.

 

Management

• Deep summer ploughing should be followed to reduce the native population.
• Installations of light traps in the field @12 traps/ha to monitor the adult activity.
• Destroy the larval webs present on the plants and burn the webs to destroy the larva present inside.
• Spray of indoxacarb 14.5 SC 0.4ml/L or spinosad 45 SC @ 0.2 ml/l.
• Pesticides are most effective if applied before larvae enter into the webs.