Why is management of brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee, difficult? an examination into the pest’s unique feeding behavioral biology

Abstract

Brinjal is the second highest consumed vegetable in India, produced with a yield of 8-9 million tons annually. Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) commonly called brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB) being a major pest of brinjal causes heavy loss to the crop productivity. The inadequate information about the special feeding behavior of BSFB has led to its management challenging and difficult. The present study was taken up to report the unique feeding behavior of BSFB. Freshly hatched first instar neonate larvae of BSFB were released on different reproductive parts of brinjal as a host plant. Details of feeding behavioral dynamics were studied by cross-examining individual larval feeding. Three feeding behavioral patterns viz., “homing” “vein tunneling” and “compel feeding” were found to be key factor of initial stages of host-insect larval interactions that represent one of the weakest links in the developmental cycle of BSFB and that will be useful in the strategic development of effective pesticides.