This Presentation from Dr. M. Thippaiah, Professor of Entomology is about insect pests of Grapes and their Management for UG students

1. Insect pests of Grape vine and their management
Grape is a very important export potential crop
Dr M Thippaiah
Professor
Department of Entomology
University of Agricultural Sciences
GKVK, Bangalore- 65

2. Insect pests are the major production constraints in grapes
cultivation apart from diseases
As many as 132 species of insects are known to attack grapes in the
world wide
About 100 species of insects and mites are known to damage grapes
in India.
Of these only 15-20 species insect pest are considered to cause
economic losses in various parts of India
12 species of insect pests were recorded on grapes in Vijayapura
district of Karnataka which included
4 species of Homoptera,
3 species of Thysanoptera,
two species of Coleoptera
Two species of Lepidoptera
one species of acari
As much as 80% economic yield loss is reported on grapes due to
insect pests in India
Dr. M. Thippaiah

3. Major insect pests of grape vine are classified as
A. Leaf feeders
Grape flea beetle Scelodonta strigicollis Chrysomelidae Coleoptera
Vine hawk moth Hippotion celerio Sphingidae Lepidoptera
Chafers beetles Anomala sp.
Adoretus sp.
Scarabaeidae Coleoptera
B. Stem girdler
Grape stem girdler Sthenias grisator Cerambycidae Coleoptera
C. Borers
Grape shot hole borer Xyleborus semiopacus Scolytidae Coleoptera
Grape vine stem borer Coelosterna scabrator Cerambycidae Coleoptera
D. Sap feeders
Pink mealy bug Maconellicoccus hirsutus
Pseudococcidae HemipteraCitrus mealy bug Planococcus citri
Thrips
Scirtothrips dorsalis
Thripidae Thysanoptera
Thrips hawaiiensis
Rhipiphorothrips cruentataus
Dr. M. Thippaiah

4. E. Non insect pests
Red spider mites
Tetranychus urticae
Tetranychidae Acarina
Oligonychus punicae
Dr. M. Thippaiah

5. A. Leaf feeders
Dr. M. Thippaiah

6. Grape flea beetle : Scelodonta strigicollis
( Chrysomelidae : Coleoptera
Adult is a metallic bronze coloured beetle, measures about 4-5 mm long, some
what squarish in shape, six black spots on the elytra
 It is a specific pest on grapevine
 It is becoming a more regular and serious pest in grape growing areas
 Many growers, fail to detect beetles because of its nocturnal in habit
Dr. M. Thippaiah

7. Eggs : are laid 4-5 beneath
the bark
or
eggs laid in groups of 20-40 in
the soil
A single female lays
220-570 eggs in 10-14
installments during its
life of 8-12 months
I.P – 4-8 days
Grubs : are brown in colour and black coloured head
L.P – 34-45 days
TLC – 50 days long
Pupa : The fully grown
grubs falls to the
ground and pupate
in earthen cell in
the soil
P.P – 7-11 days
The adults emerge in 7-11 days
Dr. M. Thippaiah

8. Larva Adult
Adults are fall down and feigns death when they disturbed i.e. Thanatosis
 Hibernating beetle become active in the month of March and start feeding from
May – November and breeding on tender shoots and leaves
 The beetles remain active till the end of November completing 3-4 overlapping
generations in a year
Dr. M. Thippaiah

9. Nature of damage
Shot holes
 Adults are very destructive particularly when the vines put on new flush after
pruning.
 They eat up and bore in to the sprouting buds, nibble the leaves making number of
holes on them.
 Scratch the tendrils and eat the epidermis of branches
 Grubs cause the damage by feeding on cortex of the roots but this damage is
neglible or not often of any adverse consequence
Dr. M. Thippaiah

10. Management practices
Remove the loose bark at the time of pruning to prevent egg laying
Shake the vines to dislodge adult beetles collect and destroy them
Collect the adult beetles in trays containing kerosenated water and destroy them
Rake the soil immediately after pruning to expose and kill the life stages of the pest
At early bud sprout stage – spray the crop with quinalphos @ 0.05%
or
phosalone 35 EC @ 0.07%
Repeat the spray after a week
Spray the vines after pruning with dichlorvos @ 0.075%
or
dimethoate 30 EC @ 2 ml / lit.
Swab the main trunk and branches with malathion 0.2% using hard brush
Dr. M. Thippaiah

11. Sphingid Moth / Vine hawk moth : Hippotion celerio
(Sphingidae : Lepidoptera)
Adult - is a robust, red and brown coloured moths
Larva - Stout and green with an anal horn
Nature of damage
Larva feeds on leaves and cause defoliation
Minor pest
There are several species of sphingid caterpillars which damage grape vine leaves
and important one is Hippotion celerio
Dr. M. Thippaiah

12. Chafers beetles : Anomala sp. Adoretus sp.
( Scarabaeidae : Coleoptera )
Anomala sp.
It is a pale green to tan coloured beetle with a
black line along the mid dorsal line and
measures about 2.5 cm in length.
Adoretus sp. :
Adults are coppery brown in colour and with out
a black line along the mid-dorsal line and measures
about 1.5cm in length
Egg: chafer beetles eggs are laid in sandy soil and
plants are grown in sandy soil are more infested
by these pests
It feeds on plant material for 3 to 4 weeks, lays
eggs in the soil, and then dies soon afterwards.
I.P – 1 - 2 weeks
Chafer beetles are serious in South Indian
condition than North Indian condition.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

13. Adult appear soon after heavy shower ( around May – June)
and cause severe damage for about couple of months.
Grubs feed on roots while adults defoliate the creepers
Grub: On hatching small white grubs feed on the roots of grasses
and weeds.
The chafer beetles overwinters as larvae in the soil.
Management practices
Collection of beetles during evening hours after 2-3 rains during
May -June
Ploughing or raking the soil to expose immature stages ( larva)
In severe cases of attack – a single spray of fenvalerate @ 0.005%
or
deltamethrin @ 0.0028% on the host plants
Dr. M. Thippaiah

14. B. Stem girdler
Dr. M. Thippaiah

15. Grape vine stem girdler : Sthenias grisator
( Cerambycidae : Coleoptea )
Adult is a medium sized, stout ,greyish- brown coloured beetle with
a white spot in the center of the elytra
It is a serious pest in grape growing areas of India and widely distributed pest
Dr. M. Thippaiah

16. The girdling by the female causes the terminal growth of the new shoots
The adult beetles emerge from infested vines in the month August and
subsequently in trash on the ground
 Beetle have the habit of girdling (ringing ) the vines ( 1.25 -2.5cm )
thick, so that the regions beyond the cut gets dried up to enable
the grubs bore and tunnel the dry wood.
Egg : The eggs are inserted under the bark in cuts made by the beetle
on the girdled vines.
 1 to 4 eggs are laid at a place
 Egg-laying continues for about one month. I.P – 8 days
Dr. M. Thippaiah

17. girdler injury on the vine
Larva: The fully-grown larva is white in colour with a brown coloured
head, legless, and measures about 8 mm in length.
It burrows in the center of the shoot on either side of the egg cavity
L.P - over a month
Pupa: The pupa is light- colored but becomes
darker just prior to emergence.
 Some of the adult features such as legs and
snout are already clearly visible in the pupal
stage.
 Pupate within the tunnel
P.P – 2 weeks
Dr. M. Thippaiah

18. Nature of damage
The girdling by the female causes the terminal growth of the new
shoots to bend over above the upper girdle and drop to the ground
Later the whole infested shoot dies back to the lower girdle and
falls from the vine
Vines 'pruned' by the girdle beetle have a ragged ( split) appearance
suggesting serious injury to the plant.
Girdling of the terminal growth has little or no effect on the crop
unless fruit-producing nodes are close to attacked shoot tips.
Symptoms of damage
Wilting of branches and then the entire vine
Dr. M. Thippaiah

19. Management practices
Remove loose bark at the time of pruning to prevent egg laying
Cut the attacked branches below the girdling point and burn the
same
Hand collection and destruction of beetles also helps in migrating
the pest population
Swab the trunk with malathion @ 0.2% to prevent the attack
Spray application of any one of the following insecticides
phosalone 35 EC @ 0.07%
or
quinalphos 25 EC @ 0.05%
first round of spray immediately after pruning and repeat it 2-3 times
Dr. M. Thippaiah

20. C. Borer pests of grapes
Dr. M. Thippaiah

21. Grape shot hole borer : Xyleborus semiopacus (= crassiusculus)
( Scolytidae : Coleoptera )
Shot hole borer is becoming serious pest on grapes in some parts
of Karnataka
This beetle mainly attacks the main trunk, starting from the base
of the plant, They are commonly called ‘Ambrosia beetle.’
Ambrosia is a fungus, cultivated by these beetles in their shot hole
nests, and the grubs of the beetle feed on this fungus.
It is the nest building activity of the beetle on the main trunk that
actually damages the vine.
 The head of X. semiopacus is completely hidden by
the pronotum in dorsal view and dark reddish brown
in colour
 The antennal club appears obliquely cut, and the
body is generally smooth and shining.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

22.  The important symptom of the pest ‘pin holes’ on main trunk,
more conspicuous if the loose barks are removed.
 Powdery wastes due to tunneling can be seen falling from the hole.
As the infestation progress the gummy exudation falling from
the trunk.
 Severely affected plants show wilting and yellowing symptoms
Pin hole
Dr. M. Thippaiah

23. Factors responsible for multiplication of the pest
Black varieties of grapes are more preferred by the pest
Water stress / more water logged conditions are highly susceptible
Plant age – More than 8-10 year old plant preferred by the pest
Alternate hosts in the field – coconut, mulberry, castor etc.,
Neglected gardens
Dr. M. Thippaiah

24. Management practices
Preventive measures :
Shot hole borer infestation can be prevented by regular removal of
loose barks and swabbing of main trunk with IIHR swab mixture
chlorpyriphos 6ml
+
copper oxychloride 10 gm
+
neem oil 1 ml
+
kerosene oil 1 ml
+
sticker 1 ml per liter of water.
This mixture can swab on the main trunk twice a year, preferably after
each pruning
Periodical examination for holes is must and if powdery or gummy
powdery exudation should be carried out or not.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

25. Treatment ( Curative measures)
Remove loose bark and scrape gently gummy exudates using a knife
Spray dichlorvos 0.25% on main trunk or inject using a disposable
syringe( if hole are few mm depth)
Band loosely, using ribbons of plastic / polythene / synthetic gunny
bags for 3-5 days on the sprayed trunk immediately after the
above treatment
Remove bands and swab with IIHR mixture
Remove castor plants growing adjacent to orchard
If serious, repeat the above treatment after a month
Dr. M. Thippaiah

26. Grapevine stem borer : Coelosterna scabrator
( Cerambycidae : Coleoptera)
Adult: An adult beetle measures about 4 cm long and dull yellow
in colour with minute spots
 They remain inside the vine up to May thereafter, they pupate inside
the tunnel made in the vine.
 The insect is a borer, the grub bores in to stem and branches and
causes drying and withering of affected branches.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

27. Life cycle of the pest
Egg: Capsule shaped eggs are laid singly in each of the slits and
the slits are covered with a hard gummy substance.
Larva: Newly hatched flat-headed cream coloured grubs burrow
into the trunk or branches and feed inside and make them hollow.
Pupa: Larvae pupate within 3-5 days, dark brown in colour.
Pupation takes place inside the stem
 The adult beetles start emerging from the vines during July to
September by making a round hole on the vine.
 Female beetles make conspicuous slits on the bark of the trunk and
branches of the vine.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

28. Nature of damage
 Presence of saw dust like substance under the vine indicates the
damage done by the grub.
 Damaged vines get weakened and growth gets affected.
 The maturity of berries is also delayed which ultimately affects
the grape production in terms of both yield and quality
The grub bores in to stem and observe bored hole
Dr. M. Thippaiah

29. Management practices
 Sanitation in the orchard, removal of dead woods and loose barks
regularly help in preventing the infestation.
 The eggs can be eradicated by removing the bark of the infested
vines and applying paste of chlorpyriphos @ 6ml
+
copper oxychloride @ 3ml
+
dichlorvos @ 3ml
+
neutral pH sticker soap @ 1ml.
 Injecting dichlorvos solution into the hole followed by sealing with
mud or cow dung mixed with copper oxychloride in 1:3 ratio is also
effective.
 The spread of the infection can be controlled by spraying the entire
orchard with quinalphos (0.06%) + dichlorvos (0.08%).
Dr. M. Thippaiah

30. D. Sap feeders
Dr. M. Thippaiah

31. Pink mealy bug : 1. Maconellicoccus hirsutus
Citrus mealy bug 2. Planococcus citri
(Pseudococcidae : Hemiptera )
Mealy bugs has become a serious pests of grape vine in recent years
in Peninsular India.
1. Maconellicoccus hirsutus 2. Planococcus citri
Dr. M. Thippaiah

32. The adult female mealy bugs are pinkish (M. hirsutus)
or
yellowish white (P. citri)
and sparsely covered with white wax.
The male and female mealy bugs are similar in early stages.
 The female passes through three nymphal instars while male passes
through four nymphal instars.
The adult males have a pair of wings and a pair of halters.
Males are very rare and
female mealy bugs are commonly found causing the damage in the field.
Mealy bug completes the life cycle in about 30 days.
Without mating, they are known to reproduce partheno-genetically
throughout the year
Dr. M. Thippaiah

33. Egg: These eggs are orange in colour (M. hirsutus)
or
yellowish white (P. citri).
I.P - 5 days
Nymph: The first instar nymphs are also called as crawlers,
which are mobile.
 They settle down on the plants, start sucking the sap and form
the colonies.
 Crawlers are orange in colour (M. hirsutus)
or
yellowish white (P. citri).
 The total N.P - 19 days for male and
21 days for female.
The male nymph forms a cottony cocoon in which the pupal stage
is found mainly in the winter season Dr. M. Thippaiah

34. Mealy bugs occur throughout the year on grape vine. However,
they are more serious during the summer months and less active in
winter and rainy seasons.
Thomson seedless
Anab- e -shahi
Bangalore blue
They attack all the grape varieties:
Nature of damage
Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the leaves, shoots and
berries
Their population increases as the grape ‘clusters’ are formed and they
more abundant when the fruits are ripening.
The heavily infested clusters shrivel and drops down
Dilkush
Gulabi etc.,
Dr. M. Thippaiah

35. The clusters become sticky because of honeydew and as a result
sooty mould develops and such berries become unfit for consumption.
Secondary fungal infection may cause the berries to rot.
The mealy bugs attack the newly formed sprouts, stunting their
growth after pruning. Such shoots gets twisted.
The yield loss may be as much as 90 %
 Mealy bugs take shelter under the
crevices of barks after the bunches
are removed.
 Once the vegetative buds arise, they
start colonizing
Dr. M. Thippaiah

36. Mealy bugs damage on berries and on shoots
Symptoms
 Malformation of leaves and shoots tip.
 Honeydew secretion results in sooty mould development
 Bunches with sticky, white wax masses are unfit for marketing
as table grapes are unfit for raisins preparation
Dr. M. Thippaiah

37. Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the berries
Dr. M. Thippaiah

38. Management practices
Debark the vines and branches and swab with methylparathion @
1 ml / lit. to minimize the population
Spray dichlorvos @ 1.0 lit.
or
chlorpyriphos @ 1.25 lit.
or
buprofezin 25 SC @ 1.0-1.5 lit. in 500 -1000 lit. water / ha.
Release Australian lady bird beetle, Cryptoleamus montrouzieri @
2500 – 3750 per ha
Conserve coccinellid- Scymnus coccivora and
lepidopteran predator- Spalgis epius
Avoid spraying methyl parathion, monocrotophos, dimethoate,
methyl demeton, quinalphos, diazinon, malathion etc., as they are
toxic to predators.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

39. Thrips : 1. Scirtothrips dorsalis
2. Thrips hawaiiensis
3.Rhipiphorothrips cruentatus
( Thripidae : Thysanoptera )
 Nymphs are reddish in colour
 Adult females are dark brown elongate insects with yellowish legs
and antennae
 Males with yellow coloured abdomen
Three species namely, Scirtothrips dorsalis, Thrips hawaiiensis
and Rhipiphorothrips cruentatus are found causing damage to grapevine
Dr. M. Thippaiah

40. Egg : The female thrips lays 15-20 eggs individually in slits on
the leaves
Nymphs : The newly emerged nymphs are reddish in colour
 The larval, prepupal and pupal stages together occupy 11-25 days
 Hibernation occurs as pupae 13 cm deep in the soil
 Seedless grapes tolerate from the thrips attack
Dr. M. Thippaiah

41. Nature of damage
Both nymphs and adults by rasping the lower surface of the leaf
with their stylets and sucking the oozing cell sap.
The injured surface of the leaves marked by the minute silvery white
patches which turn brown and coalesce.
The attacked leaves curling, withering and fall down in case of
severe infestation
The thrips also attack blossoms and developing berries.
The affected berries develop a corky layer/ kajji like formation
and become brown colour and such berries are low price in the
market
Dr. M. Thippaiah

42. When infestation develops corky layer / kajji like appearance
and turn brown , considerably reducing market price and export value.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

43. Management practices
Sanitation
Sanitation is to maintained for eliminating the source of thrips
infestation
Plant debris from previous crops is also source of both immature and
adult thrips, and they should be destroyed
Keeping the garden clean by removing weeds
Collect and destroy damaged leaves, fruits and flowers
Cultural method
Deep ploughing in summer after April pruning
or
exposure / raking of soil in vineyard helps to destroy its pupal stages
and minimizing the incidence
Dr. M. Thippaiah

44. Biological Control
The green lace wing, Chrysoperla zastrowii is commonly associated
predator with insect pests in the vine yards
Spraying of fungal pathogens namely Verticillium lecanii
or
Beauveria bassiana @ 5 ml or 5 g / lit. helps in reducing thrips
population in cold and humid climate especially when the
temperatures are between 20-25°C and humidity of above 80%.
Different neem formulations (EC based) depending upon the
strength of botanical viz.,
1% @ 2.5 ml and 5% @ 0.5 ml/l
can be sprayed like insecticide @ 400 litre spray solution per acre.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

45. Chemical Control
Effective management of thrips on grapes relies primarily
depends on insecticides.
 The chemicals should be applied at critical growth stages like
new flush, flowering and berry developing stages.
Indiscriminate use of chemicals leads to pesticide residue
problem in the fruits and therefore Pre harvest interval (PHI)
should be taken into consideration before spraying these insecticides.
List of insecticides recommended to control thrips
Dr. M. Thippaiah
Insecticides Dose PHI (Days)
Dimethoate 30 EC 1.00 ml / lit. 100
Imidacloprid 200 SL 0.30 ml / lit. 60
Clothianidin 50% WDG 0.12 gm / lit. 40
Thiamethoxam 25% WG 0.25 gm / lit. 40
Lambda-cyhalothrin 5EC/CS 0.50 ml / lit. 30
Spinosad 45 SC 0.25 ml / lit. 28
Emamectin benzoate 5 SG 0.20 gm / lit. 25

46. E. Non insect pests
Dr. M. Thippaiah

47. Red spider mites: 1. Tetranychus urticae
2. Oliginychus punicae
( Tetranychidae : Acarina)
 Freshly emerged adult females are 0.5mm long and devoid of spots but as the
feeding begins, the spots become more distinct
 Usually, two large, diffuse spots appear forward
 Adult spider mite females are reddish in colour
 Their pointed abdomen and smaller size easily recognized males
 Adult mites live for about 15 days
 Breeding is rapid in summer months
 Life cycle completed in 10-14 days
depending on weather conditions
Dr. M. Thippaiah

48. 2.Oligonychus punicae
Eggs : are found on the upper surface of the leaves when the population levels are high
Eggs are also laid in its webbings
 Freshly laid eggs are minute measuring 0.1mm in length , white in colour, spherical
in shape, transparent and appear like water drop lets
 The female mite produces 30-50 eggs
I.P – 4-6 days
Nymphs : the newly hatched nymphs are translucent larvae and they have 6 legs
Dark spots appear soon after feeding on dorsal side
 The protonymph and deutonymphal stages have 8 legs
The deutonymphal stage in similar in appearance to an adult female but smaller
N.P – 6-8 days Dr. M. Thippaiah

49. Nature of damage
Both nymphs and adults suck the cell sap from lower surface of
tender leaves causing the cells collapse and die
In heavy infestations, the mite remove chlorophyll up to 70 % leading
into development of brown burnt patches on the infested leaves ,
which wither and finally dry
Discolouration of leaves leads to reduction in photosynthesis thereby
affecting the vigour of the plants
Severe infestation of spider mites results in
delay in maturing and ripening of bunches
and
reduction in sugar content
thereby affecting the quality of grapes
Dr. M. Thippaiah

50. Bronzing of grape leaves is a classic sign of spider mite infestation
Dr. M. Thippaiah

51. Management practices
 Collect and destroy the damaged plant parts.
 To encourage natural enemies
 Predatory mites
 Predatory beetles such as small staphylinid ( Oligota spp.)
 Lady bird beetles
 Green lace winged fly
 Predatory thrips
 Anthocorid bug ( Orius spp.)
 Mirid bug
 Verticillium lecanii, Beauveria spp. ( Entomo pathogenic fungi)
 Spray wettable sulphur 3 kg or dicofol 2 lit. in 1500 – 2000 lit.
of water per ha.
Dr. M. Thippaiah

52. Thank you