CARDAMOM :: MAJOR PEST :: RHIZOME WEEVIL

5. Rhizome weevil: Prodioctes haematicus (Curculionidae : Coleoptera)
Distribution and status: India and Sri Lanka
Host range: Cardamom
Damage symptoms
         Grubs tunnel and feed on the rhizome causing death of entire clumps of cardamom.
Bionomics
         Eggs are laid in cavities made on rhizome. Egg period 8 -10 days. Larvae feed inside the rhizome, larval period 21 days. Pupate in the feeding tunnels, pupal period 21 days. Adult is a brown weevil, 12 mm in length. Adults live for 7 – 8 months. Only one generation in a year.
Management

1. Destroy affected plant/seedlings
2. Drench the base of the clump with malathion 1.25 L or carbaryl 50 WP 1.25 kg in 500 1000 L of water/ha