turmeric Pest Management

The shoot borer is the most serious pest of turmeric.
The larvae bore into pseudostems and feed on internal tissues.
The presence of a bore-hole on the pseudostem through which frass is extruded and the withered central shoot is a characteristic symptom of pest infestation.
The adult is a medium sized moth with a wingspan of about 20 mm; the wings are orange yellow with minute black spots.
Fully-grown larvae are light brown with sparse hairs.

Spray Chlorantraniliprole or Flubendiamide or Spinosad 0.5 ml/lt at 15 days interval during July to October.
Initiate spraying when the first symptom of pest attack is seen on the inner most leaf.

The rhizome scale infests rhizomes in the field (at later stages of the crop) and in storage.
Adult (female) scales are circular (about 1mm diameter) and light brown to grey and appear as encrustations on the rhizomes.
They feed on sap and when the rhizomes are severely infested, they become shrivelled and desiccated affecting its germination.

Adopt timely harvest of rhizomes.
Before storage, discard severely infested rhizomes.
Treat seed material with Quinalphos (0.075%) (for 20-30 minutes) before storage and also before sowing in case the infestation persists.
Store rhizomes in saw dust along with dried leaves of nux-vomica.

Adults and larvae of beetles feed on leaves especially during the monsoon season and form elongated parallel feeding marks on them.

Spray Chlorantraniliprole or Flubendiamide or Spinosad 0.5 ml/lit at 15 days interval.

The pest infests the foliage causing them to turn pale and dry up.
The pest infestation is more common during the post-monsoon period especially in drier regions of the country.

This crop is a major infestation of tuber-like insects.
The fly is similar to a mosquito but is larger in size and darker in colour.
The legs of a fly are longer than the body.
Both the wings are thin and transparent with grey coloured spots on them.
The eggs are whitish in colour. The larvae are yellow and have no legs. The larvae of this insect live in open burrows

To control this, apply 30 gm of Protectant and 20 ml of Quinalphos 25% solution as soon as the tuber appears in the field.
Mix in 10 liters of water and apply 1 to 2 sprays at intervals of 15 days between July to August.
The next 2 installments of the same pesticide should be given at 1 month intervals in August and September.
Partially rotten, road seeds should not be used for planting. During the period from July to September, open pits in the field should be covered with soil