Controlling fruit borer in pomegranate
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Pest is at its peak during monsoon
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Pomegranate faces a serious set back due to infestation of insects pest.
The most obnoxious is Anar butterfly, Deodorex isocrates.
The larvae of this insect directly bore into the pomegranate fruit. There is no satisfactory control measures for the pest after it enters into the fruits.
Peak infestation
The incidence of pest is at its peak during the month of August during monsoon while in winter crop it was more during November/December.
The female butterfly lays eggs on flowers-buds and the calyx of developing fruits; in a few days the caterpillars enters the fruit and feed on the pulp.
The conspicuous symptoms of damage are offensive smell and the excreta from holes. The fruits rot and drop off.
The fruit borers may cause loss of an entire crop unless the flowers are sprayed two times 30 days apart.
All the pomegranate varieties are susceptible to the pomegranate butterfly.
Management
- Bagging of fruits with butter paper before maturity should be done in isolated and smaller scale.
- Remove and destroy all the affected fruits (fruits with exit holes).
- Removal of flowering weeds, should be carried out on a regular basis.
- Frequent release of egg parasitoid Trichogramma species was found effective.
- Spray Deltamethrin at 0.002 per cent at the time when more than 50 per cent of fruits are set. Repeat after two weeks with Carbaryl at 0.2 per cent or Fenvalerate at 0.005 per cent in non-rainy season.
- Malathion (0.1 per cent) spray and cover the fruits with butter paper bags recorded the highest fruit yield per tree.
D. N. Kambrekar S. B. Kalaghatagi & S. B. Jagginavar
Regional Agricultural Research Station, Bijapur, Karnataka
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