SCREENING OF CASTOR GERMPLASM AGAINST LEAFHOPPER AND CAPSULE BORER

A Screening trial with 21 castor genotypes against leafhoppers (Empoascaflavescens), and castor shoot and capsule borer, (Conogethespunctiferalis), was carried out in Dryland farm of Sri Venkateswara Agricultural College, Tirupati, and Andhra Pradesh during kharif, 2013. Of the twenty one genotypes screened, the cultivars M-574 (2.97), 48-1 (2.89) and PCH-294 (2.80) recorded lower incidence of leaf hopper whereas high incidence was recorded in DPC-9 (7.41) followed by DCH-111(6.43). The capsule damage caused by shoot and capsule borer in all the accessions was significant and the damage ranged from 13 to 47.29 per cent. The highest percent capsule damage was recorded in DPC-9 (47.29), PCS-262 (32.78) and PCS-171 (30.79). The least incidence was found in GCH-4 (13.17), PCH-288 (14.47) 48-1 (16.78), PCH-111 (17.37) and PCH-254 (17.39). The remaining cultivars showed the damage per cent of 20-30. The entries with triple bloom, loose spike, and non-spiny capsules were found to be resistant to leaf hopper and capsule borer when compared to the entries with zero and single bloom, compact spike and bold, spiny capsules