Description:

• Diamondback moth infestations often occur when cauliflower plants are still young and during late winter and early spring.
• The pest easily moves from one crop to another by flying or being carried by the wind.

Damage Symptoms:

• The young larva feeds on the lower surface of the leaves, creating small irregular holes that eventually enlarge.
• Severe feeding causes significant damage to the leaves, reducing the plant's photosynthesis ability and slowing its growth.
• The larvae are destructive to the growing tip and, in cases of severe infestation, may lead to the death of the plant.

Preventive Measures:

• Plant trap crops and remove them before the pest infests cauliflower.
• Practice crop rotation.

Control Measures:

• Apply Spinosad (0.25 ml/l) to control larvae at 15 and 30 DAS.
• Use biological control methods such as Trichogramma or Encarsia wasps to manage the moth population.