In the practice of sericulture, the prevalence of numerous insect pests hinders the production of high-quality mulberry leaves, which in turn affects the production of high-quality silk. In recent days under changed climate conditions, leaf webber, Diaphania pulverulentalis which had minor pest status become a major concern in the production of healthy and quality leaves in some non-traditional mulberry belts in and around Tumkur, Karnataka, India. During a field visit to several locations, we witnessed the severity of leaf webber in almost all the visited fields. The apical portion of most of the mulberry plants was folded with two to three leaves intact; larva being inside. The infested plant can be easily recognized by the presence of fecal matter over the folded leaves. With reference to this, we discussed here the pest life cycle, habit, habitat, damaging symptoms along with management practices.
Suresh R. Jambagi*
Dept. of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, Karnataka (560 065), India
Neenu Augustine
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