Introduction to Brinjal Shoot and Fruit Borer: A Comprehensive Guide
Brinjal Shoot And Fruit Borer is also known as eggplant and is widely used vegetable found in the diet of people all over the world. However, its production is at risk due to pest known as the Brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB). The believe has it that this pest is very destructive to brinjal crops which in turn causes a lot of immiserate to farmers who cultivate the crops. Its an important pest of brinjal in India and hence , in this article we will be giving information about the pest in simple English regarding its life cycle, effects and control.
What is the Brinjal Shoot and Fruit Borer?
The brinjal shoot and fruit borer is in fact the moth itself but mainly affects the brinjal plant. It is actually very poor, very small insect, but they’ve got larvae inside and these are rather dangerous. Larvae develop in the hosts of brinjal plant and on the preferred shoot and fruit parts of which wilting and fruits are accustomed to be infected by larvae attack. This pest is common to tropical and subtropical regions of the world; India and Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia have all been affected by this pest.
Life Cycle of the Brinjal Shoot and Fruit Borer
Information on the life cycle of brinjal shoot and fruit borer is perhaps important after which proper action to be taken will have been established. The life cycle consists of four main stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Egg Stage: The female moth lays eggs on the underside of the stem or fruit of brinjal leaves. Each female, in her lifetime, could lay between 200 and 250 eggs and lay two eggs per month as an adult. It has small, white colored and round oval shaped eggs.
Larval Stage: In about 3-5 days, the eggs turn to larvae. Similar to the adult forms the larvae too are comparatively large and creamy white in color with brown heads. They directly begin to drill into the nearest shoot or fruit. In this stage, which lasts for about 2- 3 weeks, the larvae are most destructive to the plant since they feed on the tissues surrounding the plant.
Pupal Stage: When the larvae are full grown they leave the plant and burrow into the ground or find some other hidden spot to pupate. The pupal stage takes between 7-10 days.
Adult Stage: The adult moth comes out from Pupa stage. This is a small, white moth with some brown strips on the wings. The adult moths are at night and are lithophiles. They reproduce and lay eggs, thus, progress in the life cycle.
Impact on Brinjal Crops
The brinjal shoot and fruit borer is a very destructive pest which attacks the brinjal crop and may cause significant losses. Their larvae infested the shoots whereby by penetrating through the stem the shoot wilted followed by the death of the plant part in question. This has an effect of reducing the health of fruits produced by the plant. If the larvae departed into the fruits, they form holes and tunnels which make the fruits unmarketable. The damage can result in yield losses as high as 50 percent or even higher.
Symptoms of Infestation
Before embarking on methods of controlling brinjal shoot and fruit borer it is important to know the signs that indicate the pests are present. Here are some common signs:
Wilting Shoots: Larval feeding damages the shoots by wilting and dyeing.
Bored Fruits: The signs are the presence of holes, tunnels and the fruits themselves which are infested.
Fras: Fras or excrementous material by larvae is mostly visible in the entry holes for definitely identifying the larval activity.
Deformed Fruits: Infested fruits may look different, maybe even slightly misshapen or different colors than a fruit that is healthy.
Management Strategies
Various integrated measures have been suggested for the management of the brinjal shoot and fruit borer that includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical control.
Cultural Control:
Crop Rotation: Never have brinjal plantations consecutive throughout the year in the same land. Plow or cultivate the land to disrupt the pest’s development life cycle but plant different crops other than the host ones on the same field.
Sanitation: Eliminate and bury plant and crop debris to minimize insect population Later,’,{action}.
Resistant Varieties: Select brinjal varieties which are resistant to shoot and fruit borer.
Mechanical Control:
Hand Picking: It is advised to patrol plants at least daily and pick and dumped any shoot and fruit that shows signs of infestation.
Light Traps: Employ light traps in that will lure the adult moths and then kill them.
Biological Control:
Natural Enemies: Promote naturally occurring foes including parasitoids as Trichogrammatid wasps which parasitize the egg stage of the borer.
Biopesticides: A strain of biopesticides that could be preferred to attack the larvae include the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Chemical Control:
Insecticides: Use insecticides sparingly, and always refer to the manufacturer’s recommended instructions to prevent cases of resistance. Pesticides targeting the larvae but non-toxic to other beneficial insects should also be applied.
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) applies several or a combination of control measures in the management of pests. IPM underlines sustaining the environment and utilizes little amount of chemical pesticides as compared to traditional pest control. Here are some key components of an IPM program for brinjal shoot and fruit borer:
Monitoring: It is important that crop be checked frequently for indications of infestation. Moth activity should be detected using pheromone traps.
Threshold Levels: Set up objective economic thresholds to know when economic action must be taken. This in a way assists in reducing instances of pesticide application only because there are pests around.
Cultural Practices: Practical measures like Crop Rotation, Sanitation and Resistance varieties should be practiced out in the cultural aspect of farming.
Biological Control: Encourage use of natural enemies and Biological control measures through the use of biopesticides.
Chemical Control: When using chemical control, make sure that this is the last option to consider and look at the guidelines in regard to this below.
Conclusion
The brinjal shoot and fruit borer is another pest that is threatening the crops and has affected cultivation of brinjal crops. However when its life cycle is understood and good management practiced, its effects can be reduced considerably.
From case study of IPM approach, farmers are able to protect their crops, minimize yield losses and produce brinjal in a sustainable manner. With these guidelines and heightened awareness, farmers can contain the brinjal shoot and fruit borer and keep on producing good quality brinjal produce for the market.
