Gall fly (Ashphondylia sesame)

Symptoms

• Maggots feed inside the floral bud, causing the formation of a gall-like structure.
• This prevents the flower bud from developing into a flower or capsules, causing it to wither and drop.

Management

• The infested buds should be removed and destroyed to reduce incidence of the pest.
• Spray Neem seed kernel extract (50 gram/litre of water) or Neem oil emulsion (20 ml/litre of water).