important medicinal plants

1. 1. Cut worm, Agrotis sp.:
Symptoms of damage
Larva attacks the tender seedlings.
Identification of the pest
Larva is dark brown with red coloured head.
Adult – brown in colour and dark colour spots
on the wings
Management
1. Hand pick the caterpillars and destroy
2. Spray NSKE 5%
3. Use poison bait to lure the larvae
4. Mix chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 2 lit in 20-25 kg sand/ha
Medicinal Plants
Aswagandha
Larva
Adult

2. 2. Fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera
Symptoms of damage
 Neonates after hatching feed on tender leaves
 Later stages of larvae bore into fruit
Identification of the pest
 Larva is greenish with dark brown grey lines along the sides of
body.
 Adult moth is medium size; brown with ‘V’ shaped speck and dull
black border on the hindwing.
Management
a. Field release of T. chilonis at 5 cards/ha
b. Bacillus thuringiensis 0.5 kg/ha
c. Spray application of NPV @ 250 LE/ha
d. Set up pheromone trap @ 12/ha

3. 3. Epilachna Beetle, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata
Symptoms of damage
 Skeletonisation of leaves
Management
 Collect the beetles, grubs, pupae and destroy.
 Spray carbaryl 50 WP 2 g/lit mixed with wettable sulphur 50 WP
2g/lit of water

4. 1. Cut worm, Agrotis flammetra
 Larva attacks the tender seedlings during early summer
months.
 Defoliation
Management
 Soil application of dust (lindane) 25g/m2 or Mix chlorpyriphos 20
EC @ 2 lit in 20-25 kg sand/ha of nursery beds before sowing.
 Plough the field after harvesting the crop to expose hibernating
pupae on the surface.
Belladona

5. Glory lilly
1. Lily caterpillar, Polytela gloriosae
Symptoms of damage
 Early instars feed on chlorophyll of the leaves
 Later instars feed voraciously leaving only the hard
stem of the plant
 Complete devastation.
Management
1. Spray application of neem oil 0.5% or NSKE 5%
2. Collection of growing stages and destruction

6. 2. Red Hairy Caterpillar, Amsacta lactinea
Symptoms of damage
 Larvae feed voraciously on leaves
 Similar to grazing of cattle
 Moth emerge after monsoon
Management
a. Hand picking of larvae
b. Collection of egg masses
c. Summer ploughing
d. Spray 2.5 kg of carbaryl in 625 lit of water/ha
e. Poison baiting

7. 3. Semilooper, Plusia signata
Symptom of damage
o Caterpillar feed on the leaves
o Defoliation
Management
a. Collect and destroy the infested plant parts
b. Hand picking and destruction of the caterpillars
c. Spray NSKE 5% or neem oil 0.5%

8. 4. Tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura
Symptoms of damage
 Caterpillar cut and feed on the leaves
 Defoliation
Management
 Hand pick the caterpillars and destroyed
 Spray NSKE @ 5% or neem oil @ 0.5%

9. Keezhanelli, Phyllanthus niruri
1. Aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae
Symptom of damage
 Nymphs and adults suck the sap from
leaves
 Weakening and early wilting of the plant
 Infested leaves show leaf chlorosis,
withering and premature dropping of
leaves
 Finally death of the plant.
Management
a. Collection and destruction of infested
plant parts
b. Spray NSKE @ 5% (or) neem oil @ 3%
c. Apply methyl parathion or lindane dust
in the field to arrest activity

10. 2. Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci
Symptom of damage
 Nymphs and adults suck the sap from leaves
 Weakening and early wilting of the plant
 Leaf chlorosis, leaf withering, premature dropping of leaves
 Death of the plant
Management
 Collection and destruction of infested plant parts
 Spray NSKE @ 5% (or) neem oil @ 3%
 Apply methyl parathion or lindane dust in the field to arrest ant
activity

12. 4. Red spider mite, Tetranychus urticae
Symptom of damage
 White spots developed on the feeding sites
 In severe case, the whole leaf became white and further drying
and wilting
Management
 Spray dicofol @ 3 ml (or) wettable sulphur @ 2g/lit.

13. Long pepper
1. Mealy bug, Dysmicoccus brevipus
Symptoms of damage
 The root is infested by the mealy
bug and the affected plant shows
yellowing
 Stunted growth of the plant.
Management
 Soil application of neem cake at 150
kg/ha
 Soil drenching with dimethoate 2 ml /
lit near the root zone of affected
plants.

14. 2. Tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis theivora
Symptoms of damage
 Nymphs and adults severely attack the plant by feeding on the
tender foliage.
 Necrotic lesions develop around the feeding puncture leaving
shot holes on the lamina.
Management
 Spray phosalone (or) monocrotophos 2ml / lit of water in the
evening hours for better control.

15. 3. Aphid, Myzus persicae
Symptoms of damage
•Nymphs and adult suck the sap on leaves.
Identification of the pest : Adult - yellowish green rarely reddish
Management
 Triazophos 20 ml (Hostathion 40 EC) or acephate @ 0.15%
(20 g Astaf 75 SP) or acetamiprid @ 5 g or imidacloprid 5 ml
or thiomethoxam 3 g or neem /10litres of water
 Yellow sticky traps
 Encourage natural enemies like coccinellid beetle

16. Yam
1. Aphids, Aphis gossypii,
Symptoms of damage
 Aphids cause damage to young
seedlings
 Nymph and adults suck the sap from
leaves and stems of young vines.
 As a result, new growth is adversely
affected.
Management
 Spray neem oil 0.5% (or) NSKE 5%.
 Conserve natural enemies like
parasitoids and predators

17. Sarpagandha
1. Cut worm, Agrotis sp.
Management
a. Fork the soil (summer months) – to expose larva and pupa for avian
predators
b. Install light traps (summer) to attract adult moths
c. Install Pheromone traps at 20/ha to monitor and attract male moths
d. Irrigate the field in day time to expose larva for predation by birds.
e. Drench collar region of the plants in evening hours with Chlorpyriphos
2ml/lit. a day after planting

18. 2. Sphingid caterpillar, Deilephila nerii
Symptom of damage
o Caterpillar feed on the leaves
o Defoliation
Identification of the pest
 Larva is stout with a spine in the anal region.
 Adult is robust green moth with yellow markings.
Management
o Soil digging to expose the pupae for predation by birds
o Handpicking and destruction of caterpillars.
o Use light trap 1/ha
o Plant neerium around the bunds and take up plant protection on
neerium with chemicals
Larva Adult

19. 3. Epilachna beetle, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata
Symptom of damage
 Grubs and adults feed by scrapping chlorophyll from epidermal layers
of leaves
 Skeletnized and gradually dry away
Identification of the pest
Grubs - yellowish in colour, stout with spines all over the body.
Adult - spherical bluish brown and mottled with black spots.
Management
Collect and destroy grubs and adults.
Spray carbaryl 50 WP 3g/lt + wettable sulphur 2g/lt.
Egg, Grub, Pupa and Adult

20. 4. Ash weevil, Myllocerus viridanus
Symptom of damage
 Adults feeding on the leaves from the edges in a serrated manner
 Notching of leaf margins.
 Grubs feed on roots and cause wilting and drying of plants.
Management
 Collection and destruction of adults
 Spraying of Carbaryl 0.2% or Malathion 0.1%
 Incorporation of soil with dust or drenching of the soil
 with 0.1% Chlorpyriphos
Adult, Ash weevil

21. 5. Mealy bug, Coccidohystrix insolita
Symptom of damage
 Nymphs and adults present on undersurface of leaves and suck the sap
 Affected plants turn yellow, wilt and dry
 Honeydew secretion causes sooty mould
Management
a. Removal of affected parts in the early stage of attack.
b. Spray application of dimethoate @0.05 % a.i (or) methyldemeton 25 EC @
0.05% a. i. (or) malathion 50 EC 2@ 0.1% a. i.
c. Field release of coccinellid predators
d. In the later stage of the crop neem oil 5 ml or fish oil rosin soap 25 gm per
litre of water can be sprayed

22. Opium poppy
1. Root weevil, Sternocarus fuliginosus
Symptoms of damage: The grubs feed on roots.
Management
Apply lindane 1.3 DP 25 kg/ha in the soil before planting.
2. Cutworm, Agrotis spp

23. 3. Aphid, Myzus persicae
Symptoms of damage
Nymphs and adult suck the sap on leaves.
Identification of the pest
Adult - yellowish green rarely reddish
Management
a. Spray neem oil 0.5% (or) NSKE 5%
b. Encourage natural enemies like coccinellid beetle

24. 4. Capsule borer, Helicoverpa armigera
Symptoms of damage
It feeds on flower heads and seeds of flower.
Identification of the pest
 Larva is greenish with dark brown grey lines along the sides of
body.
 Adult moth is medium size; brown with ‘V’ shaped speck and
dull black border on the hindwing.
Management
a. Hand picking of the larvae.
b. Use of pheromone traps at 12/ha.
c. Spray NPV 250 LE / ha.
d. Use of Bt spray formulation at 2g/2ml per litre of water
e. Use of egg parasitoids, Trichogramma chilonis at 5c/ha

25. Senna
1. Green leaf eating caterpillar,
Catopsilia pyranthi
Symptom of damage
•Feed on young leaves.
Management
a. Hand picking
b. Destruction of infested pods along larva
c. Spray application of NSKE 5% or Bt
formulation of 2gm/lit of water

26. 2. Pod borer, Etiella zinckenella
Symptom of damage
Make minute holes on the pods and attack the seeds.
Identification of the pest
 Egg - small,elliptical,white,laid at junction of calyx and pod
 Larva - reddish pink dorsally, pale greenish ventrally
 Adult - greyish, brown moth distinct pale white band present on the
wings
Management
a. Hand picking
b. Destruction of infested pods along larva
c. Spray BT – 0.1% @ 50% flowering stage
d. Field release of Trichogramma chilonis @5 cc/ha
e. Use light trap at 1 /ha