What is Maize borer and how to control

Maize borer: The maize borer is a serious pest from June to September. Its larvae first scrape the leaves and then bore into the stem through the whorl or leaf sheath. The central leaves of the attacked whorl get perforated. In a young plant, the growing point is killed and a dead-heart results.
• Adopt the following integrated control measures:
• Kill the borer larvae hibernating in plants remnants like stubble, stalks, cobs and cores. Plough up the fields after harvesting the maize crop, collect the stubble and burn them.
• Remove and destroy the plants showing severe borer injury, while hoeing the crop.
• Use trichocards having 40,000 eggs of Corcyra cephalonica per acre parasitized by Trichogramma chilonis on 10-15 days old maize crop. Cut trichocards into 40 strips, each having approximately 1000 parasitized eggs. Staple these strips uniformly on the underside of the central whorl leaves in evening hours. The trichocards should not be applied on rainy days.
• Spray the crop 2-3 weeks after sowing or as soon as borer injury to the leaves is noticed using 60 litre water per acre with knap-sack sprayer with any of the following insecticides:

Sumicidin 20 EC (fenvalerate) 40ml
Ripcord 10 EC (cypermethrin) 40ml
Decis 2.8 EC (deltamethrin) 80ml
Sevin 50 WP (carbaryl) 100g

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