Cultural management

  • Regular scouting for pest appearance.
  • Installation of Pheromone traps @ 5 traps/ac.
  • Deep ploughing the fields to expose pupae to sun light and predatory birds 
  • Timely and uniform sowing over larger area
  • Follow ridge and furrow planting method instead of flat bed sowing
  • Apply only the recommended dosage of NPK as basal dose
  • Plant 3-4 rows of napier grass/hybrid napier as trap crop around maize fields
  • Inter crop maize with legumes, viz., pigeonpea, cowpea, black gram, kidney bean etc. in 2:1 to 4:1 ratio
  • Erect bird perches @ 10/acre to encourage natural predation by birds
  • Adopt clean cultivation to eliminate possible alternate hosts
  • Destruction of egg masses and larvae by crushing
  • Application of sand or soil mixed with lime in 9:1 ratio into whorl of maize plants