Tobacco caterpillar

Tobacco caterpillar

10. Tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera)

Distribution: Throughout the tropical and subtropical parts of the world.

Host plants: Polyphagous

Damage:
  • Damage is caused by the caterpillars
  • Feed on leaves and fresh growth.
  • They are active at night and more serious on tobacco.
  • Young caterpillars bite holes on leaves
  • Older larvae defoliate entire foliage
  • Fruits are also destroyed
Identification:
8.3
  • Larvae: About 35-40 mm in length when fulfed .They are velvety black with yellowish green dorsal strips and lateral white bands.
  • Adults: The moths are about 22 mm in length and about 40 mm across the wings. The fore wings have beautiful golden and grayish brown pattern
8.4

8.5


Life cycle:
  • Each female may lay 300 eggs in clusters covered with brown hair.
  • Eggs hatch in 3-5 days.
  • Larvae become full fed in 15-30 days
  • Pupal period is 7-15 days.
  • Adult longevity is 7-10 days
  • Total life cycle is completed in 32-60 days.
  • 8 overlapping generations in a year.
Salient features:
  • Breeds throughout the year, although development is retarded during winter.
  • Each female may lay 300 eggs in clusters covered with brown hair.
  • Young larvae feed gregariously initially
  • Old larvae disperse to feed individually.
  • Six larval instars.
  • Pupation takes place in soil
Management:
  • Clean cultivation to expose the larvae to natural enemies
  • Pheromone traps to predict egg laying.
  • Hand picking and destruction of egg masses and early gregarious instars.
  • Spray of NSKE @ 4.0 per cent at early growth stage of the crop.
  • Spray of SlNPV @ 250 LE per hectare
  • Malathion (0.05%) in emergency.
  • Natural enemies like Bracon sp, Telenomus sp , Bt and entomopathogenic fungi
Last modified: Saturday, 3 March 2012, 5:53 AM