Leafy vegetables 2. Moringa 2. Bud worm

                             Pests on leafy  vegetables

                                                        MORINGA

2. Bud worm: Noorda moringae : Pyraustidae: Lepidoptera

• It is an important pest, cause shedding of buds up to 75%. Activity is more during summer months in South India. 
• Oval, creamy white eggs laid in clusters or singly on flower buds.
• Caterpillars are dirty brown with a prominent mid-dorsal stripe and black head and prothoracic shield. 
• Adult is small in size with dark brown fore wings and white hind wings with dark brown border.
• Shedding of buds.

                    

Pests on leafy vegetables

2. MORINGA

1. Pod fly: Gitona distigma: Drosophilidae: Diptera

• It is a serious pest of moringa in South India.  Activity is maximum from April to October.
• Eggs are Cigar shaped, sculptured and white coloured, laid on the grooves of tender pod either singly or in groups of 3-4.  
• Maggots are cream coloured pupates in soil.
• Adult is a small yellowish fly with red eyes. Wings extend beyond body and have a dark spot near the coastal margin.
• Small-bore holes at the terminal end, oozing out of gummy fluid from fruits, drying of fruits from tip upwards.
  

Pests on leafy vegetables
AMARANTHUS

2. Amaranthus caterpillar or webber: Hymenia recurvalis : Pyraustidae: Lepidoptera

• It is a destructive pest, found all the year round.
• Eggs are spherical in shape and snow-white in colour and are laid singly or in batches of 2 to 5, in grooves of leaf veins
• Caterpillars are greenish in colour with white lines and black crescents on thorax below lateral line 
• Adult is a dark brownish black moth with white wavy markings on wings
• webbing of leaves and scrapping of chlorophyll.

Adult 

caterpillar

Pests on leafy vegetables

AMARANTHUS

1. Amaranthus stem weevil: Hypolixus truncatulus: Curculionidae: Coleoptera

• It is a specific pest of amaranthus
• Eggs are smooth, oval and pale yellow in colour. Incubation period is 4 to 10 days. A female lays 30-34 eggs. 
• Grubs are stout, curved, legless and white in colour. Grub stage lasts for 12 - 24 days. 
• Adults are ash-grey in colour, with elbowed antennae and brown elytra.
• Grubs bite into stems and feed on pith region, making irregular zigzag tunnels, which are filled with excreta. 
• Adult feeds on tender leaves of stem makes circular holes in stems, branches and mid-ribs.

Stem Gall

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES 3 Cabbage borer

                CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES

          3. Cabbage borer Hellula undalis : Pyraustidae: Lepidoptera

•       This is sporadic but occasionally serious and aborts head formation. Caterpillars first mine the leaves later feed on leaves, shoots sheltered within silken passage and finally bore into the stems. They prevent head initiation causing multiple shoots or heads. 
•       Larva: Pale whitish-brown in colour with 4-5 purplish brown longitudinal stripes.
•     Adult: Pale greyish brown suffused with fuscos. Forewings have grey wavy lines, a pale apical spot and pale edged dark lunule; hind wings pale dusky with slight fuscous suffusion on apical area.

Cruciferous vegetables 2. Leaf webber

                     CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES

      2. Leaf webber :Crocidolomia binotalis : Pyraustidae : Lepidoptera

•  Larva: with red head, brown longitudinal stripes and rows of tubercles with short on its pale violaceous body. 
• Adult: Small pale ochreous with forewing distinct wavy lines and prominent wavy spots. Hind wings semi-hyaline.
• Young larva feeds gregariously on leaves, later webs together the leaves and feeds. It cause windowing of leaves.
  
   

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES 1. Diamond back moth

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES

1. Diamond back moth Plutella xylostella : Plutellidae: Lepidoptera.

vLarva: 8-12 mm long, pale yellowish green in color, pointed at both the ends with fine erect black hairs scattered over the body.

vAdult: Small, greyish brown having pale whitish narrow wings with inner margins yellow, three pale whitish triangular markings on hind margins of each forewing. At rest a dorsal median patch of three diamond shaped yellowish white spots clearly visible by joining both forewings. Hind wings have a fringe of long hairs.

Symptoms of Damage

v   First instar larvae mine epidermal surface of leaves producing typical white patches. Larvae, second instar onwards feed externally making holes on the leaves and soil them with excreta. Heavy infestations leave little more than the leaf veins