Castor Pests

Pests of National Significance

Insect Pests

• Tobacco caterpillar: Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
• Castor semilooper: Achaea janata (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
• Shoot and capsule borer: Conogethes (Dichocrocis) punctiferalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Diseases

• Seedling blight: Phytophthora colocasiae Rac.
• Alternaria blight: Alternaria ricini (Yoshii) Hansford
• Cercospora leaf spot: Cercospora ricinella Saccardo & Berlese
• Powdery mildew: Leveillula taurica (Lev.) Arm.
• Wilt: Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht.

Weeds

Broad leaf

• Pigweed: Amaranthus viridis Hook. F. (Amaranthaceae)
• Swine cress: Coronopus didymus (L.) Sm. (Brassicaceae)
• Black nightshade: Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae)
• False amaranth: Digera arvensis Forssk. (Amaranthaceae)

Grasses

• Rabbit/crow foot grass: Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd (Poaceae)
• Crabgrass: Digiteria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (Poaceae)
• Burmuda grass: Cynodon dactylon (Poaceae)

Sedges

• Purple nutsedge: Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae)
• Flat sedge: Cyperus iria L. (Cyperaceae)

Pests of Regional Significance

Insect pests

• Red headed hairy caterpillar: Amsacta albistriga (Walker), A. mooreii. Butler (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)
• Bihar hairy caterpillar: Spilosoma obliqua (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)
• Whitefly: Trialeurodes ricini Misra (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)
• Thrips: Retithrips siriacus, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)
• Hairy caterpillars: Euproctis fraternal Moore (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)
• Castor spiny caterpillar: Ergolis (Ariadne) merione ( Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)
• Jassid: Empoasca fl avescens Fabricius (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)
• Tussock caterpillar: Orgyia postica (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)
• Castor slug: Parasa lepida (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae)
• Serpentine leaf miner: Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyziidae)

Disease

• Collar rot: Phytophthora spp.

IPM for Castor

To know the IPM practices for Castor, click here.

Source: NIPHM and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage