Plant Disease
High SeverityAffects: Maize, Sorghum, Sugarcane · Kharif season (June–October); warm, humid conditions favour rapid population buildup
Get Disease Alerts for My District →Causal Organism
Spodoptera frugiperda — invasive moth (arrived in India 2018)
Young caterpillars scrape the leaf surface creating a 'window pane' effect. Older caterpillars bore into the whorl and feed on developing cobs. Characteristic 'shothole' damage with large amounts of frass in the whorl.
Pheromone traps (1/acre) for early detection. Egg mass scouting twice a week. Intercrop with napier grass or cowpea as trap crops. Conserve natural enemies (parasitic wasps, spiders).
Early stage (1–2 instar): apply sand+ash mixture in the whorl. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray or spinosad (0.45 ml/L) at 1–3 instar. Emamectin benzoate (0.4g/L) for larger larvae. Avoid over-reliance on organophosphates — resistance developing.
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