Stem and shoot borers

Pest prevention in the main field

Remove or destroy stubble after harvest, keep fields free of weeds, trim field bunds and provide effective drainage. Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer. Avoid close planting, especially in brown planthopper (BPH) and leaf folder prone areas or seasons, and leave a 30 cm space after every 2.5 m. Use light traps (1 per hectare) and pheromone traps (12 per hectare) to monitor stem borer and leaf folder, and remove and destroy stem borer egg masses. In BPH-prone areas, avoid chemicals that cause resurgence, such as synthetic pyrethroids and quinalphos, and avoid repeated use of the same insecticide.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Rice – Pest management, main field, p. 50

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

When to act: stem borer and leaf folder

Economic threshold levels: stem borer – 2 egg masses per m², or 10% dead hearts, or 2% white ears; leaf folder – 10% leaf damage at the vegetative phase, or 5% flag leaf damage at flowering.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Rice – Economic threshold level, pp. 50–51

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Stem borer: egg parasitoid

Release the egg parasitoid Trichogramma japonicum three times at weekly intervals from 37 days after transplanting, at 1,00,000 per hectare per release, when moth activity is observed.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Rice – Stem borer management, p. 51

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.

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

When to act: pest threshold levels

Economic threshold levels given for sorghum: shoot fly – 1 egg per plant in 10% of plants in the first two weeks, or 10% dead hearts; mite – 5 mites per cm² of leaf; stem borer – 10% damage; grain midge – 5 per earhead; earhead caterpillar – 2 per earhead; earhead bug – 10 per earhead.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sorghum – Crop protection, ETL, pp. 76–77

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pest prevention without chemicals

Plough soon after harvest, and remove and destroy the stubble. Complete sorghum sowing in an area in as short a time as possible, so that flowering is not spread out, which favours grain midge and earhead bug. Set up light traps until midnight to monitor and kill adults of stem borer, grain midge and earhead caterpillars. Avoid repeated insecticide sprays, which may cause pest resurgence.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sorghum – Pest management, pp. 76–77

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Stem borer and earhead caterpillar: non-chemical measures

Sow lablab or cowpea as an intercrop (sorghum : lablab/cowpea 4:1) to reduce stem borer damage. For earhead caterpillar, set up sex pheromone traps at 12 per hectare from flowering to grain hardening, and apply NPV at 1.5 x 10^12 POB with crude sugar 2.5 kg and cotton seed kernel powder 250 g on the earheads twice at a 10-day interval, preferably in the early morning or evening. Neem seed kernel extract 5% is also listed.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sorghum – Pest management (Stem borer, earhead caterpillar), p. 77

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, grain midge, earhead bug, earhead caterpillar, stored-grain weevil and several diseases. Many are hazardous, and some may be restricted. Choose a product only with your local Agriculture Officer, and spray only after the pest crosses the threshold level.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sorghum – Pest & disease management, pp. 76–78

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests: non-chemical and biological measures

Remove criss-cross branches, infested shoots and dense branches. Hoppers: apply Metarhizium anisopliae or Beauveria bassiana (10^8 cfu/ml) on the tree trunk once in the off-season and twice at 7-day intervals in the flowering season. Mealy bug: release the Australian ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri at 10 beetles per tree, and band the trees with 20 cm wide degradable polythene sheets. Stem borer: remove and kill the grub mechanically with a needle or wire. Fruit fly: plough the interspaces to expose pupae, collect and destroy fallen fruits, and keep methyl eugenol traps at 25 per hectare.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Mango – Plant protection: pests

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Chemical pesticides: ask before you spray

The source lists insecticides for hoppers, flower webber, stem borer and fruit fly, and fungicides for mango diseases, along with waiting periods before harvest. 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.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Mango – Plant protection

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: ask before you spray

The source lists chemical treatments for aphids, flea beetle, mustard sawfly, stem borer and white rust. Choose any product only with your local Horticulture or Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Radish – Plant protection, pp. 130–131

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Chemicals: ask before you use

The source lists chemical rhizome treatments and drenches for soft rot, rhizome rot and leaf spot, and sprays for shoot borer and leaf roller. Choose any product only with your local Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Ginger – Seed treatment; plant protection, pp. 174–175

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: ask before you spray

The source lists chemical treatments for gall thrips, pollu beetle, leaf caterpillars, top shoot borer, foot rot, slow wilt and anthracnose. Choose any product only with your local Horticulture or Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Pepper – Plant protection, p. 166

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-05

Pests and diseases: ask before you spray

The source lists chemical treatments for leaf miner, aphids, rust mite, fruit-sucking moth, shoot borer, citrus butterfly, psyllid, fruit fly, mealybugs, nematodes, twig blight, scab and canker, and growth-regulator sprays for fruit set. Choose any product only with your local Horticulture or Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Acid Lime – Plant protection, pp. 15–16

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Gall caterpillar and bark-eating caterpillar

Gall caterpillar: cut and remove the infected shoot tips. Bark-eating caterpillar: clear the affected portion and put a few drops of kerosene into the holes.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Amla – Plant protection (pests), p. 42

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: non-chemical measures in the source

Stem borer: collect and destroy affected shoots; remove grubs early; swab the trunk with neem oil 5% three times a year (January–February, May–June, September–October). Die-back (pink disease): prune affected shoots just below the affected part and apply Bordeaux paste.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cashew – Plant protection (non-chemical measures), pp. 202–203

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: ask before you spray

The source lists chemical treatments for stem borer, root borer, tea mosquito bug and die-back. Choose any product only with your local Horticulture or Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cashew – Plant protection, pp. 202–203

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests: non-chemical measures in the source

Stem borer: locate the frass mat at the base of the bush, remove it, and push a thick wire into the bore hole to kill the larva. Tea mosquito bug: monitor regularly and remove alternate hosts such as neem, cashew and guava nearby. Neem-based azadirachtin is listed for thrips and mites. Chemical options for scales, thrips, aphids, mites, tea mosquito bug and blister blight are also listed — ask your officer.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Tea – Plant protection, p. 195

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-05

Pests and diseases: non-chemical measures in the source

White stem borer (Arabica under poor shade): keep optimum shade; trace and uproot infested plants in March and September; pheromone traps (25/ha) if severe; rub off loose scaly bark. Berry borer: harvest on time and thoroughly, pick up gleanings and leftover berries, remove off-season berries, avoid excess shade, prune for ventilation, and dry berries to the right moisture (parchment 10%, Arabica cherry 10.5%, Robusta cherry 11%). Shot-hole borer: prune affected branches. Scales and mealybugs: release Cryptolaemus beetles (300 per acre). Black root rot: dig out and burn infected bushes, trench around the spot, and do not replant for 18 months. Chemical options for these and for rust, black rot and collar rot are also listed — ask your officer.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Coffee – Plant protection, pp. 199–200

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-05