Leaf folders and leaf rollers:
Hypatima haligramma M. (Gelechiidae), Caloptilia tiselaea M. (Gracillaridae), Dudua aprobola M. (Tortricidae), Sylepta derogatta F. (Pyralidae)
Pest appearance:
- Larva of Hypatima haligramma (Gelechiidae) is yellowish green with black head and prothoracic shield and grows upto 7mm long, pupates inside leaf roll, pupa is small and brown. Adult is a small, narrow shiny moth, with forewings having two whitish transverse bands.
- Larva of tiselaea is sluggish, light yellowish with creamy head, grows up to 7mm and pupates inside a silken cocoon by making a small folding on lamina. Adult is a tiny, narrow plume moth, dirty white in colour. Forewings are narrow, elongate and smoky with greenish tinge. Hindwings are plumose and short. Tibial spurs are present in midlegs and absent in forelegs.
- Larva of aprobola are very active, dark green with black head and prothoracic shield, grows upto 1.5 cm long, pupates inside leaf roll while, adult is a tiny narrow grey moth. Wings are smoky with ornamentation and black spot towards apical margin. A pair of spurs present on both femural and tibial ends in hind legs.
- Larva of derogatta looks glistening green with dark brown head and prothorax, grows up to 2.5 cm and pupates inside the leaf roll. Adult is a small moth with light yellowish wings having brown wavy margins.
Symptoms of damage:
Early cashew types record higher leaf infestation by leaf folders compared to mid and late cashew types.
- Larva of haligramma rolls up the leaf margin towards ventral side. Roll is narrow, tight and the larva feeds the leaf margins, as a result leaf dries up.
- Similar kind of roll is made also by aprobola but the role is bigger.
- Larva of tiselaea folds loosely the leaf either from the top or from lateral margin towards the midrib ventrally. The larva remain inside the roll and feed from inside by scraping the green portion of the leaf lamina which later dries up.
- Larva of albomaculata damage tender leaves by making spindle shaped folds. Two to four terminal leaves are folded longitudinally one above the other and fastened with silken threads to form a tight tubular roll at the growing point resulting in delayed panicle emergence.
- Larvae of Sylepta auranticollis during their early stages roll the tender leaves and scrape the green matter, later they defoliate the entire leaves.
