Pests of Mulberry and their management

1. Pests of Mulberry and their
management
By,
Nayana, B. P.
Msc. (Agri.)
SRF
UAHS, Shivamogga

3. STUDY OF MULBERRY PESTS, DISEASES AND
THEIR MANAGEMENT
1. Bihar hairy caterpillar – Spilarctia obliqua Walker ( Arctiidae : Lepidoptera)
• It is a polypahagus pest infesting several crops including mulberry and occurs
sporadically in most areas in the sericulture belt of Karnataka.
• Period of occurrence – It occurs throughout the year and infestation is severe
from Aug – Jan. months.
• Life Cycle –Gravid females lays 1000 – 2000 eggs in a group on the under
surface of mulberry leaves. Eggs are pale green in color and hatch in 5 – 7 days.
• Caterpillars are covered with bristles, anterior and posterior ends are black in
color. While, the rest of the body is reddish brown.
• There are seven instars and the larval duration is 27 – 32 days.
• They pupate in crevices of bunds, tree trunk and corners of nearby
buildings.
• Pupal duration is 12 – 14 days.
• The life cycle is completed in 44 – 53 days.

4. • Moths have light brown
colored wings with brick red
abdomen and scattered dark
row of spots laterally and
dorsally.

5. Fig. Various life cycle stages of Spilarctia obliqua (Walker) (Lepidoptera:
Arctiidae)
( a ) fresh eggs; ( b ) eggs near to hatch; ( c ) 7-day-old larva; ( d ) pupa; ( e ) adult

6. Caterpillar

7. Caterpillar

8. Symptoms and nature of damage
• Young caterpillars gregarious and they feed on the green, soft
tissues of tender leaves, leaving behind only the veins.
• Grown up caterpillar are solitary and feed voraciously on the
entire leaves.
Management:
 Clipping of infested parts and burn or dip in soap solution
 The egg masses are to be destroyed.
 If pest is in late stage, application of 0.15% DDVP is desirable
provided a safety period of one week is practiced.

9. 2. Tobacco caterpillar : Spodoptera litura F ( Noctuidae : Lepidoptera )
 It is polyphagus pest infesting several crops including mulberry and occurs sporadically on
mulberry where vegetables crops are commonly grown.
 Period of occurrence: It occurs mostly in between Aug. – Feb. Months.
 Life Cycle: Moths are stout; forewings are dark with wavy white markings. Hind wings are
white with brown margins.
 Eggs are laid in clusters of 200 – 300 underneath the leaves and are covered with brown
bristles.
 Incubation period is 4 – 5 days.
 Fully grown caterpillar is stout, cylindrical and pale greenish brown in color with dark
markings. They have transverse and longitudinal grey and yellow bands.
 The caterpillar is nocturnal in habit, and lies in hidden in crevices of loose soil at the base
of the plant during day time.
 Larval period is 2-3 weeks.
 Pupation occurs in soil and moths emerge from pupa in about 2 weeks.
 Life cycle is completed in 36 – 40 days.

10. Tobacco caterpillar
Spodoptera litura

11. Symptoms and nature of damage:
• The cutworm caterpillar attack shoots of young mulberry
plants and cut them. The cut portion of the shoot dries up and
falls off. They also feed on mulberry leaves.

12. Control Measures
Mechanical/ Physical control
• Collect and destroy egg masses and young caterpillars.
• Plough infested garden and dig near the base of mulberry plant to expose the pest
to sunlight and predator or Deep ploughing and flood irrigation is useful in killing
the pupae which pupate in the soil.
Chemical control
• Spray 0.15% DDVP (@ 2 ml/lit water)/ dichlorovas/ Dichloro Divenyl phosphate/
Nuvan during evening hours, 20 days after pruning. Safety period: 10 days.
• Dust 5% Malathion near the base of the plants immediately after pruning.
Pheromonal control
• Use spodolure, a pheromone trap @ 2 lures/acre twice at an interval of 15 days
from 25th day after pruning, to attract and kill male moths.
Biological control
• Release Trichogramma chilonis egg parasite at the rate 30 egg cards per acre.

13. 3. Leaf roller: Diaphania pulverulentalis (Hampson) (Pyralidae
: Lepidoptera )
• It is a pest of mulberry since, 1995 in Karnataka.
• The infestation is observed in mulberry plantations from 15 days to
70 days after pruning or leaf harvest.
• Up to 100 % infestation is recorded in several areas.
Period of occurrence:
It is observed round the year, but infestation is severe from July to
Nov.

14. Life Cycle:
• Moths are greyish brown in color and measure about
1 cm in length.
• Wings have brownish wavy stripes.
• Moth lays 1 or 2 eggs on the apical portion of shoot.
• Each female lays about 100 eggs. Incubation period
is 3 – 4 days.
• Grown up caterpillars are greenish brown in color with black
markings on the lateral and dorsal regions of the body segments.
• The head is black in color. Larval duration lasts for 10 – 15 days.
• Pupation occurs in dry leaves and pupal duration is 8 – 10 days.
• The pest completes its life cycle in 21 – 29 days.

15. Symptoms and nature of damage:
 The young caterpillars stay within the unopened young leaves and secrete
delicate white silky filament which bind the leaf surface.
 Sometimes a single leaf is rolled up and the caterpillar is found within this
rolled up leaf and hence the name leaf roller.
 Grown up caterpillars feed voraciously on tender leaves.
 The leaf roller not only feeds on the leaves at the apical potion of the
affected plants, but also damages the young shoot as a result, the plant
become stunted.
 In such plants, tender leaves required for chawki rearing become scarce.
 In addition the leaf roller is highly susceptible to pebrine disease and may
transmit to the silkworms.
 The pest larva infected with pebrine spores in the field can contaminate
mulberry leaves and in turn can cause pebrine disease to silkworms.

16. Management:
1. Collect and destroy the larvae and pupae
2. Promote the activity of bird predators by providing water in small
containers in and around mulberry plantation
3. Chemical control: 0.2 % DDVP/ dichlorovas/ Dichloro Divenyl
phosphate/ Nuvan ( 2.5 ml/lt of water) can be sprayed on the leaves,
which can be used for silkworm rearing after 7-10 days
4. Biological control: Release Trichogramma chilonis egg parasitoid
@ 1 Tricho card/week (for 4 weeks). Do not spray any insecticide
after the release of trichogramma parasitoids.

17. 4. Grasshopper:Neorthacris acuticeps acuticeps ( Acrididae : Orthoptera)
 It is a serious pest in rain fed mulberry plantations of Karnataka.
 It is a polyphagous pest infesting several crops including mulberry and
infestation ranges from 8 – 95 %.
 Period of occurrence: It is observed round the year, but severe during July –
Aug.
 Life Cycle: Adult grasshopper is light brown in color.

18.  Gravid females lay 6 – 8 eggs pods in loose soil at a depth of 2-3 cm.
 Each egg pod contains 8 – 10 eggs.
 Eggs hatch in 28 – 31 days.
 The first to third instar nymphs are straw colored, whereas the
remaining instars are light green in color.
 Nymphs pass through 6 instars within 90 – 95 days.
 The pest completes the life cycle in 163 – 186 days.
Eggs pods

19. Symptoms and nature of damage:
• Nymphs and adults feed veraciously on sprouting buds and leaves of
mulberry.
• When the infestation is severe, mulberry plants are completely devoid
of leaves.

21. Management:
1. Clipping of infested parts and burn or dip in soap
solution
2. If pest is in late stage, application of 0.15% DDVP is
desirable provided a safety period of one week is
practiced.
3. Deep ploughing of soil helps to expose grasshopper
egg pods to natural enemies.

22. 5. Ashweevils: Myllocerus viridanus, Myllocerus discolor
Curculionidae : Coleoptera)
 Period of occurrence: Throughout out the year, maximum damage
from July – October.
 Life Cycle : Adults are grey colored measuring 0.50 – 1.5 cm (length)
 Eggs are laid in superficial layers of the soil.
 A single female lays 150 – 350 eggs over a period of 20 – 90 days.
 The grubs hatch out from the egg in 4 – 8 days and pass through four
instars in a period of 40 – 75 days and pupate in the soil.
 They normally complete 3 –5 generations in a year.

23. Myllocerus subfasciatus- Brown
M. discolor: Brown and white spots

24. M. maculosus: greenish white
with dark lines on elytra
M. viridanus: Small light
green weevil

25. Symptoms and nature of damage
• Both adult and grubs cause injury to mulberry.
• The adults feed on the leaves and buds but, grubs feed on the
underground parts of the mulberry.
• In case of severe attack the plants wilt and dry up.
• Irregular serrated margins on foliage can be observed when
damage caused by the adults.

26. Management
Collect and destroy adults
Apply Neem cake @ 500 kg / ha
In endemic areas, apply carbofuran 3 G @ 15 kg/
ha – 15 days after planting

27. 6. Termites : Odentotermes obesus , Odontotermes spp. ( Termitidae : Isoptera )
 Period of occurrence: Usually form Oct. onwards and continues till the onset of
monsoon.
Life Cycle:
 Wings are present only in the sexually mature males and females.
 During the swarming season wings of these sexually mature members are broken
of following a shorter flight.
 The individuals separate in pairs and a cell is excavated in the soil or wood,
where repeated mating takes place.
 Mature queen lays several thousand eggs.
 Incubation period varies from 24 – 90 days.
 Duration of development and number of nymphal instar vary greatly with the
cast and usual environment factors.
 Workers of a colony cause the main damage.

28. Termites

29. Symptoms and nature of damage
• Termite attack is found in all types of soil but more
frequent in sandy and red loamy soil.
• They feed upon the roots and bark of young and old plants
and results in drying up of the plant.
Management
1. Destruction of the termite mound/colony followed by irrigation.
2. Application of chlorinated hydrocarbon dust to soil is helpful at
the time of planting.
3. Mounds can also be treated by phorate 10g @ 50g per mound or
50 ml of chlordane, or alluminium phosphide 2 tab/mound.

30. 7. Jassids: Empoasca flavescens ( Cicadellidae : Hemiptera )
• Period of occurrence: Mostly in summer months.
Life Cycle:
• Adults are pale green in color and measures about 2.5 – 4.0 mm in
length. Adults and nymphs move sideways.
• Eggs are pale yellow in color, elongated in shape and are laid on the
lower surface of the leaves below the epidermis.
• They hatch in 4–9 days and moult four times. Nymphs are pale green
in color.

31. Symptoms and nature of damage
 Adults and nymphs attack the mulberry leaves form lower side
margin of the veins and suck the sap.
 Initially a brown color appears at the tip followed by the margins
of veins and extends towards the mid rib of the leaf.
 This is known as the hopper burn symptom.
Hopper burn symptom

32. 8. Thrips: ( Thripidae : Thysanoptera)
1. Pseudodendrothrips mori Niwa
Adults are brownish yellow to dark brown in color
2. Taeniothrips claratris (Shumber)
Adults are light yellow color
3. Taeniothrips glycines (Okamoto) - Adults are light yellow colored and predominant
on powdery mildew infected leaves
4. T. melanicornis ( Shumber) - Adults are brownish yellow in color
5. Haplothrips coloratus ( Trybom ) – Adults are black in color
Period of occurrence: Throughout the year and very high in summer months.
Life Cycle
 Each female lays 30 – 50 bean shaped yellow colored eggs on the ventral side of
the leaf.
 Nymphs hatch form these eggs in 6-8 days and are pale yellow in color.
 They moult four times in 15 –18 days. Adults are with fringed wings.

33. Symptoms and nature of damage
• The nymphs and adults inflict the injuries by lacerating the
epidermal tissue of mulberry leaves and the sap.
• Affected leaves show white streaks in the early stage of
attack.
• Whereas, blotches are observed at the advance stage of
attack which become yellowish – brown on maturity.

34. Symptoms and nature of damage

35. 9. Scale insects:
Most common scale insect species attacking mulberry are
Saissetia nigra (black scale )
Pulvinaria maxima (soft scale) and
Aonidiella aurnatii (California red scale)
 These insects suck the sap of the plants leading to
yellowing, wilting and premature dropping of leaves.
 The excretion of honey dew contaminates the leaf due to
development of sooty mould.

36. Management
1. Cutting and burning of infested plants
2. Scraping and dislodging of scale insects.
3. Swabbing diesel and soap solution (1:3 ratio) on the
stem helps in dislodging scale insects
4. Chemical control 0.2 % DDVP/ dichlorovas/ Dichloro
Divenyl phosphate/ Nuvan ( 2.5 ml/lt of water) can be
sprayed on the plants or neem based insecticides
(Azadirachtin)-3ml/lt of water.

37. 11. Mealy bugs: Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Pseudococcidae : Hemiptera )
• The pest infests majority of mulberry garden in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh.
• The infestation is severe in irrigated mulberry garden and the extent of damage is about 35
% in Karnataka.
• This infests grapes commonly. Eggs
Period of occurrence
Throughout the year and severe in summer months
Life Cycle
• Each gravid female deposits about 250 eggs. The eggs hatch in 5-8 days.
• The crawlers are orange in color and this stage lasts for a day.
• They settle on the plant and secrete a white mealy substance on their body.
• Females have three nymphal instars, while males have four.
• Life cycle is completed in 24-26 days.
• Adult males are slender and possess a pair of wings and caudal filaments, each.
• They predominantly reproduce parthenogenetically.

39. Symptoms and nature of damage
• Malformation of the apical shoot due to thickening of the affected portion of
shoot, reduction in internal distance and wrinkling and curling up of apical leaves is
observed.
• Affected leaves become dark green in color and turn pale yellow, in the case of
severe attack.
• Affected portion of plants become brittle and this symptom is called as ‘Tukra
disease’

40. Management
Cultural control
Do not grow alternate host plants such as croton, guava,
hibiscus, grapes, lady’s finger, cotton etc in the vicinity of mulberry garden.
Mechanical control
Clip off the infested portion by secateur, collect in a polythene bag and destroy by
burning. This will help in reducing the chances of recurrence of pest.
Chemical control
0.2 % DDVP/ dichlorovas/ Dichloro Divenyl phosphate/ Nuvan ( 2.5 ml/lt of water)
can be sprayed on the plants or neem based insecticides (Azadirachtin)-3ml/lt of
water.
Biological control
Release predatory lady bird beetles Cryptolaemus montrouzieri @ 125 adults per
acre twice, during Aug-Sept and Oct-Nov or Scymnus coccivora @ 500 adult beetles
in two equal splits at an interval of 6 months

41. Papaya Mealy Bug
Occurrence & Symptoms
 The papaya mealy bug, Paracoccus marginatus is an
exotic pest which infest a variety of crops such as
papaya, guava, teak, vegetables, Jatropha, and weed
plants like Parthenium, Sida, Abutilon etc.
 While feeding, it injects a toxic substance into the
leaves, resulting in chlorosis, plant stunting, leaf
deformation or crinkling, early leaf and fruit drop,
and death of plants.
In mulberry, its infestation causes malformation of affected portion,
stunted growth of leaf, presence of red/black ants, honey dew
secretion, growth of sooty mould, and outright killing of the plant.
At present occurrence of papaya mealy bug is sporadic.

42. Enlarged view of P. marginatus on
pigeonpea
Clusters of cotton–like masses of P.
marginatus on papaya leaf

44. Damage

45.  Release exotic parasitoid, Acerophagus papayae @1 vial per acre (1
vial= about 100 adult parasitoids).
 Do not remove or destroy alternate host plants such as Parthenium,
Sida, Abutilon, Jatropha etc., containing mummified mealybugs.
 Do not spray any insecticide for its control, which may still worsen the
situation.
Acerophagus papayae
Management

46. Chemical control
 Locate ant colonies and destroy them with drenching of
chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 2 .0 ml/litre of water.
 Regular monitoring of the crop for mealybug infestation and its
natural enemies .
 Spot application of insecticide immediately after noticing mealybug
on some plants in the crop field.
 If the activities of natural enemies are not observed, use of botanical
insecticides such as neem oil (1 to 2%), NSKE (5%), or Fish Oil
Rosin Soap (25g/litre of water) should be the first choice.
 Chemical control is only partially effective and requires multiple
applications.

47. Apply recommended chemical insecticides as the last
resort such as
Profenophos 50 EC (2 ml/litre),
Chlorpyriphos 20 EC (2ml/litre),
Buprofezin 25 EC (2 ml/litre),
Dimethoate 30 EC (2 ml/litre),
Thiomethoxam 25 WG (0.6 g/ litre),
Imidacloprid 17.8 SL (0.6 ml/litre)

48. White fly
Occurrence & Symptoms
 The name white fly is derived from the whiter appearance of the adults and their
tendency to fly when disturbed.
 Adults have a pair of floury wings which are usually white with a few veins.
 In the recent years outbreak of Dialeuropora decempuncta has occurred on
mulberry in southern state of Kerala and Karnataka.
 Prolonged dry spell followed by the hot humid weather favours the white fly
flare up.
 Occur during the months of March-June; October-December.
 The spiraling of waxy material is the typical symptom of white fly attack.
 Both nymphs and adults pierce and suck the sap from foliage and the damaged
leaf become unfit for silkworm rearing.

49. Control Measures
Mechanical/ Physical control
• Use sprinkler irrigation to disturb white fly population.
• Fix yellow sticky traps @ 75-80 traps/acre to trap the adults.
Chemical control
• Spray 0.076% DDVP (@ 1 ml/lit water) 12 days after pruning (safety period: 10
days) and second spray with 0.05% Dimethoate 30% EC @ 1.5 ml/lit
Biological control
• Release predatory lady bird beetles Scymnus coccivora @ 500 adult beetles/acre.
Yellow sticky traps
Scymnus coccivora

50. 10. Mites
Tetranychus neocaledonicus ( Tetranychidae:Class-Arachnida Order: Acarina)
Members of this order are commonly called as ‘Mites’ and are characterized by
having four pairs of legs in the adult stage.
Period of occurrence: Throughout the year, maximum in summer months.
Life Cycle
 The adults are reddish in color.
 Female lays 45 – 140 eggs on the ventral side of the leaves.
 Eggs are smooth, spherical and light brown in color.
 Incubation period is about 5 days.
 Newly emerged larvae are light amber in color and after feeding the color
changes to dark green.
 The larval period occupies about 2 days.
 Later, they moult into protonymph, deutonymph and finally to adults.
 The total duration to complete life cycle is about 10 days.

51. Mites

52. Symptoms and nature of damage
•Mites ( nymphs and adults ) suck plant sap by penetration with
sharp stylets, inducing white specks on leaves.
•In severe infestation, the leaves appears rusty in color, gradually
dry and fall off.
Control
Spray acaricides such as wettable sulphur 2g/l or dicofol 2.5ml/lt of
water

54. 11. Snails: Cryptozona semirugata
During monsoon season the snails climbs the
mulberry plants and feed on the young leaves.
Control:
1. Collect and destruction of snails
2. Keep metaldehyde cakes 5kg per acre to attract and kill the snails