Plant parts affected

Leaves, stem

Initial diagnosis:

Larvae crawl to the plant whorl and move downward between the folds of the young leaves.

Symptoms:

It cuts the growing tip resulting in wilting of leaf and later drying of the central leaf known as ‘dead-heart’. damaged plants produce side tillers which again are infested increasing the population build up.

Damage type:

Dead-heart formation leads to the seedling mortality.