Fall armyworm: prevention and non-chemical measures
Apply neem cake at 250 kg/ha during the last ploughing, and treat seeds with Beauveria bassiana at 10 g/kg. Use spacing of 60 x 25 cm for irrigated and 45 x 20 cm for rainfed maize, leaving a 75 cm gap after every 10 rows. Raise border crops of cowpea, sunflower or gingelly, and intercrop with black gram or green gram, to attract and conserve natural enemies. Raise a border crop of Bajra Napier for irrigated maize, or grain sorghum for rainfed maize, to attract the moths. Use a solar light trap (1 per hectare) and sex pheromone traps (50 per hectare) from 10–15 days after sowing.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Maize – Pest management (Fall armyworm), p. 113
Region
Tamil Nadu
Last updated
2026-11-04
Fall armyworm: botanical and biological sprays
At the early whorl stage (15–20 days after sowing), azadirachtin 1% EC at 20 ml per 10 litres is listed. At the late whorl stage (40–45 days), Metarhizium anisopliae at 80 g per 10 litres (1 x 10^8 cfu/g) is listed.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Maize – Pest management (Fall armyworm), p. 113
Region
Tamil Nadu
Last updated
2026-11-04
Shoot fly and borers: non-chemical measures
For shoot fly, set up low-cost fish meal traps at 12 per hectare until the crop is 30 days old. For borers, the source lists releasing the egg parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis at 12 cc/ha three times at weekly intervals, coinciding with the egg-laying period, and conserving the larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Maize – Pest management (Shoot fly, borers), p. 113
Region
Tamil Nadu
Last updated
2026-11-04
Chemical pesticides: ask before you spray
The source lists insecticides and fungicides for shoot fly, stem borer, aphids, fall armyworm, leaf blights, rust and downy mildew. Many are hazardous, and some may be restricted. Choose a product only with your local Agriculture Officer.
Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Maize – Pest & disease management, pp. 113–114
Region
Tamil Nadu
Last updated
2026-11-04
Downy mildew
Sow resistant hybrids, and rogue out (pull out and destroy) downy mildew–infected plants.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Maize – Disease management (Downy mildew), p. 114
Region
Tamil Nadu
Last updated
2026-11-04
Post-flowering stalk rot
Follow crop rotation. Avoid water stress at flowering time to reduce the disease. Avoid nutrient stress, and apply potash at 80 kg/ha in endemic areas. Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens or Trichoderma asperellum at 2.5 kg/ha with 50 kg of well-decomposed FYM or sand to the soil at 30 days after sowing.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Maize – Disease management (Post-flowering stalk rot), p. 114
