Salient Achievements

• Incidence of C. punctiferalis infesting ginger and turmeric in relation to crop phenology was studied by recording the incidence of the pest at fortnightly intervals. Influence of date of sowing on the incidence of the pest was also studied. On ginger, the shoot borer infestation was first observed during the second fortnight of August and was high during the first week of November when the crop was planted in June. When the planting was advanced to May, the incidence of the pest was first observed during the second fortnight of August and the peak reached in the second fortnight of October. In turmeric, the pest attack started in the first week of July and in normal planting the incidence occurred in the last week of August. The peak incidence was in the last week of August in the case of early planting and it was in the last week of October in the case of normal planting.
• An ichneumonid larval parasitoid attacking ginger shoot borer was recorded from Wayanad district. Identification of natural enemies is in progress.
• Three insecticides (spinosad, flubendiamide, chlorantraniliprole), which were found to be effective earlier and a treatment with spraying of chlorantraniliprole and spinosad alternatively were screened under field conditions at Peruvannamuzhi farm for dose optimization against shoot borer infesting ginger and turmeric. All the insecticides were very effective in the management of the pest even at the lowest dose tested.