makka fall armyworm scouting whorl damage economic threshold timing
How do I scout for fall armyworm in maize and when must I spray?
BBasavaraj8mo ago · 347 views
6 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓8mo ago
Scout maize twice a week from emergence, walking a W pattern and checking the whorl of 20 plants at several spots for the ragged feeding, window-pane damage and moist sawdust-like frass that fall armyworm leaves. Act when about 5 percent of plants show fresh whorl damage in early stage or around 10 percent later, rather than calendar spraying. Apply control in the early morning or evening directed into the whorl where larvae hide, using recommended insecticides such as spinetoram, emamectin benzoate or chlorantraniliprole, and rotate chemistries to slow resistance. Hand picking egg masses and young larvae, putting dry sand or ash in the whorl, and pheromone traps for monitoring all help reduce sprays. Confirm the product and dose with your local KVK and follow label and PHI.
MMahesh8mo ago
Spraying right into the whorl in the evening works far better than spraying the whole plant in the day. Frass tells you it is active.
RRakesh Patidar7mo ago
In Madhya Pradesh I hung a few pheromone traps and the moth catch warned me a week before damage showed, so I was ready. Catching the young larvae early needs far less spray than waiting until big larvae are deep in the whorl.
LLokesh Gowda7mo ago
One caution: rotate the chemical each time as my KVK said, because I sprayed the same product three times and it stopped working. Mixing a little dry sand into the whorl also helped on a patch where I wanted to avoid more spray.
SSrinivas Goud6mo ago
In Telangana I walk the field and crush the egg masses on the underside of leaves by hand when I spot them, which kept the numbers down on my small plot. Removing eggs and tiny larvae early meant I sprayed only once the whole season.
AAwadhesh Kumar6mo ago
One tip from Bihar: I spray in the cool evening so the chemical stays in the whorl longer and the larvae are active and feeding. A day spray in hot sun dried up fast and worked poorly for me, so timing of the spray matters too.