About White Grub
The adult beetles feed on the leaves of trees like Neem and Acacia. They are small reddish brown beetles. The female adults enter into the soil to lay eggs often in clusters.The young grubs are white and translucent (Fig.). Fully grown larvae are larger than a thumb. The larvae feed on soil organic matter for a few weeks and then eat roots. They also damage pods.
The grubs cut and eat the plant roots, and consequently the plants will wilt and die. Severely infested fields have large patches of dead plants; the surviving plants are often stunted, and show signs of wilt. If the grubs are present at the time of podding, they also damage the pods.
Submitted by lavanya on Fri, 10/07/2009 - 13:23