25 Jan Tussock caterpillar, Dasychira mendosa Hubner, infesting Oil palm nursery
ऑयल पाम नर्सरी को संक्रमित करने वाली बालवाली इल्ली, डासचिरा मेंडोसा हबनर Oil palm, Elaeis guineensis Jacq is the richest source for vegetable oil production with a capacity of 4-6 tons of oil per ha per year. The productivity of the palm is affected by at least 80 species of arthropods that are potential pests on oil palms. There are many insect pests viz., bagworm, leaf webworm, hairy caterpillars, grasshoppers, flea beetles, ash weevils, termites, rodents, wild boar etc. which damage the oil palm nursery and affect their normal growth and development. Superior planting material is one of the basic factors affecting the success of an oil palm plantation. Good nursery management would be required to ensure the production of good and healthy seedlings from a nursery in order to achieve early bearing and high yields in the field. Damage to oil palm nursery leaves Pest management practices in oil palm nursery is essential in order to get better palms. Hence, for better pest management practices, a good knowledge of biology, nature of damage, seasonal occurrence, association of natural enemies etc. are of prime importance. In this article, it is discussed about tussock caterpillar, Dasychira mendosa a potential insect pest defoliating nursery and cause stunting symptom. Distribution and host range Tussock caterpillar, Dasychira mendosa Hubner (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) is...