Major pest of sunflower :-
Leaf hopper (Jassids) : Amrasca biguttula biguttula
Family : Cicadellidae
Order : Hemiptera
Host Plant : Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)
Cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum)
Brinjal ( Solanum melongena )
Potato ( Solanum tuberosum )
Mouth type : Piercing and sucking types ( Hemiptera)
Larvae called -Nymph
Damage symptoms
Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the under surface of leaves.
Leaves become crinkled and cup shaped.
Growth gets stunted.
Brownish red colour develops on the edges of leaves and the condition is known as “hopper burn”.
Life cycle
Management
Early sowing and close spacing of cotton reduces pest infestation particularly if the rainfall is heavy
Setup light trap to monitor the broods of leaf hopper and to attract and kill
Spray monocrotophos 36 WSC @ 1000 ml/ha and NSKE 5% @ 25 kg/ha or 750 ml endosulfan 35 EC in 1000 L of water per hectare.
Release predators viz., Chrysopa carnea
Capitulum borer :- Helicoverpa armigera
Family : Noctuidae
Order : Lepidoptera
capitulum An inflorescence that consists of closely packed flowers which have no stalks and arise on a flattened axis.
. Host Range : Cotton , pigeon pea , chickpeas, pearl millet, Tomato , maize, sorghum , okra , tobacco, linseed, and some fruits crops.
Larvae called : Caterpillar
Mouth type : Biting and Chewing type
Egg: Spherical in shape and creamy white in colour, laid singly
Larva: Shows colour variation from greenish to brown. It has dark brown grey lines on the body with lateral white lines and also has dark and pale bands
Pupa: Brown in colour, occurs in soil, leaf, pod and crop debris
Adult: Light pale brownish yellow stout moth. Forewings are olive green to pale brown with a dark brown circular spot in the centre. Hind wings are pale smoky white with a broad blackish outer margin
Damage symptoms
The larva feeds on the developing seeds and bore the head
Fungal developed and head starts rotting
The larva consumes leaf in early stage of growth and move towards the capitulum and tunnel the head
Life cycle
