Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future
Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future
Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future
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The ripening pods of tamarind are attacked by caterpillars of Aphomia<br />
gularis Zeller (Lepidoptera: Piralidae) in South India. Stored fruits are<br />
commonly infested with Paralipsa gularis Zellar and Corcyra cephalonia<br />
Stnt. in India (Butani, 1978). The larvae attain a maximum size of 18 mm<br />
and are stout, greyish in colour with brownish spots. The caterpillars of<br />
Assara albicostalis Walk. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) bore inside <strong>the</strong> fruit and<br />
eat <strong>the</strong> pulp and sometimes bore into <strong>the</strong> seed.<br />
Calandra linearis beetle also attacks fruits and is reported as a common pest<br />
in Florida and Hawaii (NAS, 1979). Neem (Azadirachta indica L.) oil at <strong>the</strong><br />
rate of 5 to 20 ml per kg of seed, has been used effectively to control bruchid<br />
beetles attacking tamarind pods and seeds. The use of neem oil has<br />
pronounced adulticidal and ovicidal effects, which are maintained over six<br />
months, without any effect on seed viability. This low cost bio-pesticide is<br />
very cost effective and efficient in protecting seeds of tamarind from bruchid<br />
damage. The method is widely used in <strong>the</strong> Sahel (Cardet et al., 1998). As<br />
neem trees are grown in <strong>the</strong> arid and semi-arid tropics where tamarind also<br />
grows, use of neem oil, which can be easily extracted by simple methods,<br />
should complement or replace <strong>the</strong> use of chemicals to control bruchids.<br />
Clove oil has also been shown to be a protectant <strong>for</strong> stored seeds preventing<br />
attack by brachids (Lale and Marina, 2002): this was recorded in Nigeria<br />
where peanut and tamarind are common. This pest can also be controlled by<br />
fumigation with phosphine from aluminium phosphide tablets weighing 3 g<br />
each, applied at 0.5 tablet/ton. Ethylene bromide, carbon tetrachloride and<br />
acrylnitrile could also be used <strong>for</strong> fumigation of stored tamarind products<br />
(Mital and Khanna, 1978). For more in<strong>for</strong>mation regarding <strong>the</strong> use of <strong>the</strong>se<br />
products <strong>the</strong> reader is refered to:<br />
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_ChemUse.jsp?Rec_Id=PC33216.<br />
Larvae of Alphitobius laevigatus Fabr., Echocerus maxillosus Fabr. and<br />
Uloma spp. are o<strong>the</strong>r minor pests that attack tamarind fruits. The beetles of<br />
Lasioderma serricorne Fabr. (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), Lasioderma spp.,<br />
Calandra linearis Herbst. (Curculionidae) and Tribolium cataneum<br />
(Tenebrionidae) are reported to bore into <strong>the</strong> fruit and cause considerable<br />
damage (Singh and Ahmed, 1989). Dichocrosis punctiferalis Guenee<br />
(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Phycita orthoclina Meyrick are reported as<br />
fruit boring insects of minor importance (Butani, 1979). Cryptophalebia<br />
illepida Butler (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a polyphagus species has been<br />
found boring into <strong>the</strong> fruits of tamarind (Usman and Puttarudriah, 1955). In<br />
some seasons, fruit borers cause serious damage to <strong>the</strong> mature fruits causing<br />
losses to marketable yield (Salim et al., 1998). If fruits are left <strong>for</strong> long<br />
periods on <strong>the</strong> trees <strong>the</strong>y become infested with beetles, which can also carry<br />
over into storage. Termites (Cryptotermes hainanensis (Isoptera:<br />
Kalotermitidae) attack trees in Hainan, China (Ping, 1987).<br />
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