Pest Management of Maize

Pest Management of Maize

Although insects and diseases are not a serious problem in the country but the

situation is changing with the increasing of area and intensity of maize cultivation.

The important diseases appear during seedling, growing and maturity stages of maize

are given below:

Major diseases and control measures:

Major diseases are: 1) Seed rot and seedling blights; 2) Leaf blight; 3) Yellow leaf blight;

4) Stalk rots; and 5) Ear rot and kernal rots.

Control measures:

• Application of proper fungicide should be done to control those diseases.

• Tilt 250 EC @ 0.05% should be applied to control leaf blight diseases, starting

when lesions are first observed.

Major insects and control measures

Major insects are: 1) Maize aphid; 2) Corn earworm; 3) Cut-worms; 4) Stem borer;

5) Seedling maggot and 6) Hairy caterpillar

Control measures:

• For controlling cutworm, field irrigation, application of poison bait or application of

granular insecticides @ 1.5 kg a.i/ha should be done.

• Dursban, Pyrifos 20 EC @ 5 ml/litre of water should be sprayed to control soil

borne insects.

• Marshall 20 EC or Diazinon 60 EC @ 2ml/litre water could be sprayed properly to

control stem borer insects.

• For ear worm, the larvae could be killed after collecting from the infested cobs.

Cypermethrin (Ripcord 10 EC/ Cymbush 10 EC/ Fenom 10 EC) @ 2ml/litre water

could be sprayed to a control this pest.