This document provides information on the white grub pest that damages ginger crops. It begins with the systematic classification of white grubs, then describes the different life stages including eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. Diagrams are included. The document discusses the host plants of white grubs, their distribution, nature of damage caused, and life cycle. It then provides details on cultural, biological, and chemical control methods that can be used to manage white grub populations.

1. DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY
ALLAHABAD SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE
SAM HIGGINBOTTOM INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY &
SCIENCES
[Formerly-Allahabad Agricultural Institute]
(Deemed-to-be-University)
ALLAHABAD- 211007, U.P., INDIA
SUBMMITED BY,
RAKESH
SUBMITTED TO,
DEPARTMENT OF PLANT PROTECTION

2.  Ginger is a plant with leafy stems and yellowish green
flowers.
 The ginger spice comes from the roots of the plant.
 Ginger is native to warmer parts of Asia, such as China,
Japan, and India, but now is grown in parts of South
American and Africa.
 It is also now grown in the Middle East to use as medicine
and with food.
 Ginger is commonly used to treat various types of "stomach
problems," including motion sickness, morning sickness,
colic, upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, irritable bowel
syndrome(IBS), nausea, nausea caused by cancer treatment.

3.  WHITE GRUB
 SHOOT BORER

4. SYSTEMETIC CLASSIFICATION
 Kingdom :- Animalia
 Phylum :-Arthropoda
 Class :- Insecta
 Order :-Coleoptera
 Family :-Scarabaeidea
 Genus :-Holotrichia
 Species :-longipennis

5. Eggs :-
 Freshly laid eggs are oval, white, about 3 mm long and 2 mm
wide.
 After 3-4 days, eggs become spherical and smooth and are about 2
mm in diameter.
 Mature eggs are brownish-black with a diameter of about 4 mm.
Larva :-
 Larvae are creamy white in colour, C-shaped (Scarabaeiform) and
vary in size depending on age and species.
 They grow from about 2–3 mm in length when young to 20-40mm
when mature, depending on species. They have prominent brown
heads and large, dark brown “jaws (i.e. mandibles), 5-segmented
antennae, three pairs of spiny legs and abdomens with a shiny tip.

6. Pupae :-
 Pupae are white to yellowish in the early stages, and gradually
become brown.
 They pupate in the soil and range from 1.5 to 3cm in length and
are typically about 1.5 cm wide.
Adults :-
 Adults differ considerably in size, shape and colour depending on
species.
 Antennae are 10-segmented. Adults are broad, robust looking
beetles with thick elytra (wing cases) and pronotum (plate-like
covering of front segment of the thorax ).
 In some species these structures are brightly coloured, even
metallic green, and/or patterned, in other species they are plain
brown to black.

7. FIG:-Pupa FIG:-Adult
FIG:- Larva
FIG:- Eggs

8. HOST PLANT:-
 White grubs feed on the roots of corn, ginger, timothy, Kentucky
bluegrass, sorghum, soybean, strawberry, potato, barley, oat,
wheat, rye, bean, turnip, and to a lesser degree, other cultivated
crops.
DISTRIBUTION:-
 More than 200 species of white grubs are found throughout
North America.
 Populations of most grub species tend to be highest in older
plantings of sod, or in soils high in decomposing organic
matter.

9. NATURE AND DAMAGE:-
 Root grubs occasionally feed on tender rhizomes, roots and base of
pseudostems causing yellowing and wilting of shoots.
 The grubs make large holes in rhizomes and reduce market value of produce
Damage by white grubs is usually most severe when corn is planted following
sod.
 In this case, root feeding can be so severe that plants may grow no taller than
30 to 60 cm (1 or 2 feet).
 If the root system is badly damaged, injured plants will eventually die and
can be easily pulled from the ground.
 Even light infestations usually result in increased lodging and reduce yield

10. FIG :- DAMAGE SYMPTOM

11. EGG:-
 Eggs are deposited singly in weedy fields or grasslands several
centimetres below the soil surface.
 The time taken for eggs to hatch varies considerably from about 6
days to over 50 days.
LARVAE:-
 Larvae undergo three stages (instars). Larvae may also undergo
diapause (a period of dormancy triggered by climatic conditions such
as dry seasons) prior to pupation.
 Wet soil conditions during diapause will cause high larval mortality
by promoting fungal and bacterial infections.

12. PUPA :-
 Pupal development takes 30-40 days. Most species of white grub complete
their lifecycle in one year; however, one of the most damaging species
Phyllophaga implicita can take up to three years to complete its lifecycle.
ADULT:-
 Adult emerge from pupae in the soil in response to the start of the rainy
season or soil disturbance (e.g. ploughing).
 Adults typically emerge at dusk and are active night fliers. Adults commonly
feed in trees, but return to grasslands and cultivated fields to lay eggs
following mating.
 Female adults can continue to lay eggs for over 100 days. Up to 60 eggs can be
laid at a time.

13. FIG:- LIFE CYCLE OF WHITE GRUB

14. CULTURAL CONTROL:-
 Crop rotation is an effective control method of grubs if maize is
rotated with resistant or less susceptible crops deep-rooted
legumes such as alfalfa, cowpea, and pigeon peas.
 Ensuring proper drainage in the field since grubs prefer moist soil,
especially with decaying organic matter - female beetles prefer to
lay eggs on moist-decaying organic matter.
 Reducing or pruning trees that attract adults bordering the crop.
 Heavy application of nitrogen fertilizer which can kill first instar
larvae.

15. BIOLOGICAL CONTROL:-
 Spores of the pathogens Bacillus popilliae, B. lentimorbus and
Metarhizium anisopliae can be used to inoculate the soil.
 Parasitic wasps including Tiphia species, Myzinum species and
Pelecinus polyturator, as well as the parasitic fly Pyrgota undata have
been used as biological control agents.
 Nematodes such as species of Steinernema can also be effective
against white grubs.

16. CHEMICAL CONTROL:-
 Chemical control is rarely necessary for white grubs. Chemical
treatment on grubs must be done when they are young as older
larvae are more robust and larvae move to a greater depth as they
develop. If insecticides must be applied then the following
treatments have shown to have some control of white grubs:
 Aldicarb granules – a systemic insecticide;
 Carbofuran granules – a systemic insecticide;
 Chlorpyriphos – a contact insecticide;
 Ethoprophos granules – a contact insecticide;
 Fipronil – a contact insecticide;
 Imidachloprid – a systemic insecticide with reasonable soil
mobility;
 Isofenphos– a systemic insecticide with reasonable soil mobility
 Application of contact insecticides to the foliage of the trees where
adult beetles swarm.

17. SYSTEMETIC CLASSIFICATION
 Kingdom :- Animalia
 Phylum :-Arthropoda
 Class :- Insecta
 Order :-Lepidoptera
 Family :-Noctuidea
 Genus :-Conogethes
 Species :-punctiferalis

18. Egg:-
 Egg is pink, oval, flat and lays singly or in group on the tender part of the plant
Larva:-
 larva is long, pale greenish with a pinkish was dorsally, head and pro-thoracic
shield brown in colour and body covered with minute hairs arising on wards.
Pupa:-
 Pupation takes place in lose silken coccon in larval tunnel.
Adult:-
 Adult is a medium sized moth, the wings are pale yellowish with black spots on
the wings.

19. FIG:- Egg
FIG:- Larva
FIG:- Pupa
FIG:- Adult

20. HOST PLANT:-
 The shoot borer highly polyphagous pest.It is feed also crop
ginger, termric, cocoa, custard apple, cotton, hollyhocks etc.
DISTRIBUTION:-
 It is various country found in austrelia, china, india, japan,
srilanka, asia, africa, etc.

21. NATURE AND DAMAGE:-
 The larvae bore into pseudo stems and feed on internal tissues
resulting in yellowing and drying of leaves of infested pseudo
stems.
 The presence of a bore-hole on the pseudo stem through which
frass is extruded and the withered and yellow central shoot is a
characteristic symptom of pest infestation.
 Favourable conditions: Temperature range 30-33°C and relative
humidity range 60-90%.
 The pest population is higher in the field during September-
October. The pest is most active from July to October.

22. FIG: DAMAGE BY GINGER SHOOT BORER

23. Egg:
 Eggs are pink, oval, flat laid singly or in group on leaves and other
soft and tender part of the plant. The eggs hatch in 2-6 days.
Larva:
 The larvae pass through 4–5 in stars and are full-fledged in 12- 16
days. Fully grown larvae are light brown with sparse hairs.
Pupa:
 Pupation takes place inside the seed or sometimes in the grass that collects
after feeding.
 Pupation takes place in lose silken cocoon in larval tunnel. The pupal stage
lasts about 7-10 days.
Adult:
 It is a medium sized moth with a wingspan of about 20 mm; the wings are
orange-yellow with minute black spots.
 Three generations are completed in a year.

25. CULTURAL CONTROL:-
 Harvest all bulbs, remove culls, volunteer crops
and crop residues from the field to reduce
overwintering populations.
 Avoid planting in soils that are high in
undercomposed organic matter.
 This will also help to reduce potential disease
problems.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL:-
 Parasitic wasps, predatory flies, ground beetles
and pathogenic fungi help reduce ginger shoot
borer populations.

26. CHEMICAL:-
 Spraying malathion 0.1% at 30 day intervals during July to
October is effective in controlling the pest infestation.
 The spraying has to be initiated when the first symptom of pest
attack is seen on the inner most leaves on the pseudostem.

27.  CAB International (2007). Crop Protection Compendium.
Wallingford, UK. CAB International.
 Flanders K.L., Heinrichs E.A., Foster J.E. and Rice M.E.
(2010). Maize pests of North America. In: EB Radcliffe, WD
Hutchinson and RE Cancelado (Eds) Radcliff’s IPM.
 Hill, D.S. (2008). Pests of crops in warmer climates and their
control. Springer Science and Business Media BV.
 Ortega, A. (1987). Insect pests of Maize: A Guide for Field
Identification. Mexico, D.F.: CIMMYT.