My brinjal shoots are bending over and drying at the tip, and when I cut open the fruits there are tunnels and a caterpillar inside with round entry holes. Half my fruit is unsellable. What do I do?
That is brinjal fruit and shoot borer, the most common and damaging pest of brinjal. The drooping dead shoots and the bored fruits with a caterpillar inside are the textbook symptoms. The single most effective step is to clip and destroy all wilted shoots and bored fruits twice a week, carry them out of the field and bury or burn them, because that removes the larvae before they move on. Set up pheromone traps at about 5 per acre to track and trap the moths. For sprays prefer biopesticides like Bt or neem first, and if pressure is high use a recommended insecticide such as emamectin benzoate or chlorantraniliprole, but rotate modes of action and never spray the same one repeatedly. Since brinjal fruits are picked often and eaten fresh, strictly follow the label dose and pre-harvest interval. Confirm the pest and current recommendation with your local KVK.
The clipping of drooping shoots is boring work but it cut my damage by more than half. I do it every Monday and Thursday without fail.
Pheromone traps told me when the moths arrived so I sprayed at the right time instead of guessing. Saved me two unnecessary sprays.
I started growing the Bt brinjal alternative is not allowed here, so I rely on traps plus regular clipping. It works if you are disciplined.
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