Jute Hairy caterpillar control measures, pest characters, and nature of damage
Scientific name: Spilarctia oblique.
Family: Arctiidae.
Order: Lepidoptera.
Pest characters of Jute Hairy caterpillar
• It is a polyphagous pest with wide range of host plant including jute, groundnut, vegetables and ornamental plants.
• Adults are stout moths having black spotted and pinkish coloured wings dotted with small blacks spots.
Nature of Damage of Jute Hairy caterpillar
1. It is a serious pest of jute. When jute plant become 23 feet height, they are attacked by it upto harvesting.
2. Females lay eggs to the lower surface of the mature leaves. After hatching of eggs, the young caterpillarss feed on chlorophyllous tissues from lower surface of leaves.
3. Affected leaves become membranous. First to third instar caterpillars spread out to the entire field and feed on whole leaf tissues leaving only the ribs.
4. Once caterpillars swarm, there is nothing without stem. They are polyphagous.
5. Besides jute they attack soybeans, groundnut, maize, linseed, mashkalai, radish etc.
Jute Hairy caterpillar Control Measures/Management of Jute Hairy caterpillar
A) Nonchemical control of Jute Hairy caterpillar
1. Collection and destruction of egg masses and caterpillars at early stage.
2. Use of light trap for controlling adults moths.
3. Ploughing of land after harvesting.
4. Digging trench surrounding ingested field and killing them.
5. Application of biological control.
6. Spraying of microbial insecticides. e.g. Bacillus thuringiensis.
B) Chemical control of Jute Hairy caterpillar
1. Application of Sevin/ Diazinon/ Diginol 60 EC @ 3 mL/ L of water.
2. Application of Ripcord/ Cymbush/ Fenon 10 EC @ 1 mL/L of water.
3. Application of Azodrin/ Nuvacron 40 WSC @ 3 mL/L of water.
