NEED FOR MANAGING THE BARK EATING CATERPILLAR (Indarbela quadrinotata Walker) IN CASUARINA PLANTATIONS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

The bark eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata is a serious pest of Casuarina equisetifolia in Tamil Nadu. There was only scanty information on the impact of the pest on growth of C. equisetifolia and hence the present study was undertaken by laying out protected (insecticide treated) and unprotected (allowed for natural infestation of the bark eating caterpillar) plots in a 2006 Casuarina equisetifolia plantation raised at T. S. Pettai, Cuddalore Forest Division, Tamil Nadu, wherein the pest attack occurs in an epidemic level. The studies revealed that there was 35.70 percent loss in diameter increment and 28.43 percent loss in height increment of trees due to the pest attack during two years period. A significant positive correlation between bark eating caterpillar infestation and loss in diameter increment was also noticed. The study has shown that the pest is capable of causing substantial yield loss, which may justify the need for intervention to manage the bark eating caterpillar infestation in Casuarina plantations.