How to Control Girdle Beetle in Soybean Effectively? | सोयाबीन में गर्डल बीटल (गर्डल कीट) पर प्रभावी नियंत्रण कैसे करें?
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If we talk about some of the popular oilseed crops in India, soybean is on the top of the list. But the crop faces a lot of threats, stress, and environment change. One of the most damaging beings is the Girdle Beetle in the Soybean crop. This pest causes more damage in the crop than any other thing, which is why girdle beetle control in soybean is not just an option but an essential step.
A lot of farmers have reported significant damage to the crop because of the Girdle beetle. In this blog we will take a look at what girdle beetle is, effective ways of soybean pest management and how to stop pest attack in soybean.
What is the Girdle Beetle?
Girdle beetle is a specific type of stem borer insect and it only targets soybean crops. This insect attacks the crop mostly during the vegetative to flowering stages of the crop.
If it gets into the crop, the female lays eggs on the stems, and the larvae (grubs) bore into the stem. This impacts the plants in the worst way possible, which leads to the lodging and drying of the plant. Soybean stem borer treatment is really important at the growing stage to ensure that the plant is safe from such attacks.
How to Identify Girdle Beetle Damage?
It is really important to have a soybean pest management plan in place, identify and detect the early symptoms of infestation to save the crop.
Girdling of stem: Start by cutting the stem in a circular ring-like pattern almost near to the base or main stem joint.
Top drying: In some cases, you might see that the upper portion of the plant starts to dry but the lower stem looks normal and green.
Drooping or falling plants: This happens in mostly the severe cases and it leads to the collapse due to the damage in the stem.
Larval presence: You might be seeing the white-colored grubs on the opening of the stem.
The chances of infestation in the crop usually start around the 20–25 days after sowing. And this can be more during the flowering stage.
Effective Control Measures for Girdle Beetle
1. Monitoring and Early Detection
It is important to visit fields regularly and have close observation from the 15th day after sowing the seeds. This helps in detecting the pest at the very early stage. You should keep an eye on any signs of drying tops or even girdling.
2. Mechanical Removal
Remove the plants that might be affected by insects and destroy them at earliest. But make sure to not leave any kind of girdled in the field; they act as a breeding ground.
3. Cultural Practices
Crop rotation is one of the best ways of soybean pest management, especially within the non-host crops like maize or sorghum, can reduce pest buildup. Not just that, even deep ploughing after harvest helps to kill pupae or larvae in the soil.
4. Chemical Control
But if the infection is serious and reaches the economic threshold levels (ETL) it is best to opt for the chemical treatment.
Thiamethoxam 12.6 % + lambda cyhalothrin 9.5 % zc
Final Thoughts
Girdle beetle control in soybean is really important as the infection can lead to severe damage and may impact productivity if it is not managed at the right time. An integrated pest management (IPM) can help in saving the crop at the right time without any severe damages.
