Caterpillars are stripping leaves and boring into the spikes of my castor crop. How do I manage semilooper and capsule borer?
How do I control semilooper and capsule borer in castor (castor)?
DDilip Chaudhary5mo ago · 231 views
6 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓5mo ago
Castor semilooper feeds heavily on leaves and can defoliate plants fast, while the capsule borer bores into the developing spikes and damages the seed, so scouting both leaf and spike stages is important. Cultural steps include collecting and destroying large larvae by hand on small areas, using bird perches and pheromone traps, and conserving natural enemies. For the semilooper a biological option like Bt or NPV works well against small larvae, while heavier pressure may need a label recommended insecticide. For capsule borer, time any spray to small larvae before they enter the capsules, since once inside they are protected. Always follow label dose and PHI, and rotate products. Get the current threshold and recommended schedule from your local KVK or castor research centre.
KKanu Patel5mo ago
Hand picking the big semilooper larvae in the early stage on my small plot kept it under control without much spraying. They are easy to spot and remove when the crop is young.
BBhikhabhai Desai5mo ago
Bird perches across the field brought in birds that fed on the loopers, and along with the pheromone traps for monitoring I could keep my spraying low. Conserving the natural enemies instead of blanket spraying kept the balance and saved cost.
RRamesh Prajapati4mo ago
The capsule borer is the trickier one because once it is inside the spike no spray reaches it. So I scout the spikes from flowering and act on the small larvae before they bore in. For the semilooper a biological option works well on the small stage. Rotate the products and follow the label and PHI, and get the threshold from your KVK.
JJayesh Patel4mo ago
A biological spray on the small semilooper stage worked well for me before the larvae grew big and started stripping the leaves fast. Once they are large they eat a lot and are harder to knock down. Scouting regularly to catch them small was the key, and I kept the bird perches up to help. Save the chemical for heavy pressure and rotate it as advised.
AAshok Prajapati3mo ago
Conserving the natural enemies made a real difference once I stopped the blanket calendar spraying that was killing them off. After that the spiders and other helpers kept the looper numbers down on their own in the light years. I only spray on threshold now and target the head and spikes for the borer. Get the current threshold and product list from the castor research centre.