Major Insect Pests of Sesame and their Management Leaf webber or roller and capsule borer (Antigastra catalaunalis) Gall fly ...
Major Insect Pests of
Sesame and their Management
- Leaf webber or roller and capsule borer
(Antigastra catalaunalis)
- Gall fly (Asphondylia sesami) and Bud fly
(Dasineura sesami)
- Sesame leafhopper (Orosius albicinctus)
- Hawk moth or Sphinx caterpillar
(Acherontia styx)
- Bihar hairy caterpillar (Spilosoma
obliqua)
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), is
commonly known as gingelly, til and simsim. Sesame oil is considered to be one
of the healthy cooking oils due to rich source of oleic (40-50%) and linoleic
(35-45%) fatty acids. Sesame seeds are used in large number of confectionary
products and sweets in addition to industrial, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical
uses.
India is
the largest producer of sesame in the world with a production of 7.84 lakh
tonnes from 15.62 lakh hectares (2018). The crop is mainly cultivated in the
states of Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat, West
Bengal, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. </p
Insect
pests cause yield losses ranging from 10-60% under different climatic
conditions contributing to low productivity of the sesame. The sucking pest,
leafhopper (Orosius
albicinctus) is a vector of serious disease viz. phyllody. Major
insect pests of sesame, their characteristic symptoms and recommended
management practices are furnished below.
Symptoms
of damage
Larvae
web together a few top leaves and feed them. In the early stage of infestation,
the plant dies without producing any branch or shoot. In later stage of attack,
infested shoots stop growing. At flowering, larvae feed inside the flowers and
on capsule formation, larvae bore into capsules and feed on developing seeds.
The pest remains active during July to September.
Management
- Collect and destroy the larvae
from the leaf webs during the initial stages of plant growth.
- Erect bird perches @ 40-50/ha
to facilitate predation of larvae.
- Spray neem seed kernels extract
(NSKE) 5% or neem oil @ 5 ml/l or spinosad 45SC @ 0.2 ml/l or
flubendiamide 480SC @ 0.3 ml/l or chlorantraniliprole 18.5SC @ 0.4 ml/l or
quinalphos 25EC @ 2 ml/l or profenofos 50EC @ 2 ml/l.
Symptoms
of damage:
Maggots
feed inside the floral bud leading to formation of gall like structure which do
not develop into flower/capsule. The affected buds wither and drop. The pest
remains active at the time of bud initiation.
Management
- Clipping of the galls, picking
and burning the shed buds may help as prophylactic measure.
- Spray neem seed kernels extract
(NSKE) 5% or dimethoate 30EC @ 1.5 ml/l or quinalphos 25EC @ 1.5 ml/l or
imidacloprid 17.8SL @ 0.3 ml/l at bud initiation stage.
Symptoms
of damage:
Nymph and
adults suck the sap of tender parts of the plants. Infestation of the pest lead
to curling of leaf edges, leaves turn red or brown and then dries up and drop.
The jassid or leafhopper is a serious pest of sesame and is known to transmit
phyllody disease. The pest remains active from vegetative to capsule stage.
Management
- Seed treatment with
imidachloprid 70WS @ 7.5 g/kg or thiamethoxam 25WG @ 5 g/kg seed. </li.
- Spray neem seed kernels extract
(NSKE) 5% or dimethoate 30EC@ 1.5 ml/l or oxydemeton methyl 25EC @
1.5ml/or imidacloprid 17.8SL @ 0.3 ml/l or acetamiprid 20SP @ 0.3 g/l or
thiamethoxam 25WG @ 0.3 g/l or thiacloprid 21.7 SC @ 1 ml/l.
Symptoms
of damage:
Caterpillars
feed on the leaves and defoliate the plant. The pest remains active throughout
the crop season on young and grown-up crop.
Management
- Deep ploughing exposes the
pupae for predation to insectivorous birds.
- Collection and destruction of
caterpillars.
- Spray neem seed kernels extract
(NSKE) 5% or quinalphos 25EC @ 1.5 ml/l or chlorpyrifos 20EC @ 2 ml/l.
Symptoms
of damage
In the
early stages, larvae are gregarious feeders and are concentrated on few plants.
Mature caterpillars migrate to other plants and feed voraciously leaving only
the stem. The pest incidence occurs from vegetative stage and continues till
maturity.
Management
- Collect and destroy infested
plant parts, egg masses and young larvae during gregarious phase.
- Erect bird perches @ 40-50/ha
to facilitate predation of larvae.
- Install one light trap per
hectare to catch the adults.
- Use Bacillus thuringiensis var.
kurstaki @ 1 g/l or neem seed kernels extract (NSKE) 5% or chlorpyrifos
20EC @ 1.5 ml/l or quinalphos 25EC @ 1.5 ml/l or acephate 75SP @ 1.5 g/l
or indoxacarb 15.8EC @ 0.5 ml/l.
Source :
P. Duraimurugan, ICAR - Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad,
Telangana, India
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