Shoot and fruit borer in brinjal

BRINJAL IS prone to attack bythe brinjal fruit and shoot borer, Luecinodes arbonalis.

During the early stages of the crop the larva bores into the shoots resulting in drying and dropping of shoots. On reproduction, the larva bores into the flower buds and fruits and plugs the entrances with excreta.

Control measures

— Collect and destroy the affected fruits and shoots.

— Avoid monocropping and crop rotation with potato.

— Use optimum dose of Nitrogen fertilizers

— Three soil applications of neem cake at 2.5 q ha at the time of transplanting, 1 and 2 months after transplanting.

— Application of neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 5 per cent.

— Three sprays of insecticides like profenophos 50EC (2ml/l) or thiodiocarb 75 WP (lg/l) or carbaryl 50 WP (2g/l) or malathion 50 EC (2ml/l) during flowering stages at 15 days interval is advised.

S.S. Karabhantanal Anand Hallikeri
& S. Doddagowdar

University of
Agricultural Sciences
Dharwad