Abstract
The effects of pruning on growth of Sesamum indicum L. infected by leaf webber/capsule borer insect, Antigastra catalaunalis, is
investigated in the field of a farmer in Khipro, Sindh (Pakistan). Sesame is a broad leaf annual summer crop. The disease does not
appear during early stages of plant growth. Its out burst occurs during onset of monsoon season when plants are about three months
old. Life cycle of A. catalaunalis is completed within 25 to 35 days after which chances of causing further infection are reduced. The
local farmers neither provide proper fertilizers nor any insecticides against A. catalaunalis, due to their high cost. In stead, they prune
the infected foliage at about three months of age to minimize the losses. The practice of pruning about upper 10 to 12 cm of diseaseaffected branches and main stem in our experiment resulted in not only increase in vegetative and reproductive growth but also
minimized the severity of infection. The correct timing of pruning is, however, very important to get the better results. Yield in terms
of seeds per plant was found to be higher in pruned as compared to the non pruned plants.
