Damage Symptoms
• Termite infestation occurs soon after planting when germinating setts and young shoots are affected.
• Newly planted setts suffer the most serious damage as termites enter through their cut ends or through the buds and feed on soft tissues replacing them with soil.
• The infested stools or shoots dry up soon after germination and these can be pulled out easily.
• Such shoots show no compensatory tillering.
• Occasionally 40-60% of the eye buds are destroyed leading to poor germination, gaps in the field and subsequent yield loss.
• Termite activity is observed in both loamy and heavy soils; areas of low rainfall or with poor irrigation potential are known to be more prone to its damage.
Management
• Location and destruction of termite colonies.
• Ploughing or disturbing high field bunds would expose and destroy colonies of subterranean termites.
• Clearing and burning of crop residues and other debries in the field.
• Frequent irrigation would help in reducing attack.
• Dipping setts for 2 min in solution of imidachoprid 17.8 SL at 5 ml or chlorpyriphos 20 EC at 50 ml per 10 lit of water prior to planting.
• When termite attack appears in standing crop, then Bifenthrin 10 % EC @1lit/ha or soil drenching with Clothianidin 50 % WDG @@250 gm/ha