🍀HOME GARDEN🍀 Author:- G.keerthana

Plant protection

Pests

Mango hopper (Tenemanchu purugu) (Idioscopus clypealis , Idioscopus nitidulus  Amritodus atkinsoni  )  

          Damage is caused by sucking sap from tender leaves and inflorescence. Ovipositional punctures also cause damage to tender leaves and inflorescence. Severely infested leaves become curled and inflorescence gets dried. Affected parts are covered with honeydew and sooty mould.

Control

One spray with carbaryl @ 3 gms/litre of water in November before panicle  formation   ensuring  that tree trunks are also thoroughly drenched during the spray. During full length stage of panicle but before full bloom full bloom stage spraying with endosulfan @ 2 ml /litre of water or Dimethoate @ 2 ml /litre of water or imida cloprid @ 0.3 ml/ litre of water if incidence of hoppers is high (more than 5-10 per panicle).After fruit set at pea size stage spraying with imida cloprid @ 0.3 ml/ litre of water or thiamethoxam @ 0.4 gm/ litre of water.

Mealybug (Drosicha mangiferae, Rastrococcus iceryodies)

          Nymphs and adults suck the plant sap and reduce the vigor of the plant. Excessive and continuous draining of plant sap causes wilting and finally drying of infested tissue. They also secrete honey dew, a sticky substance, which encourages the development of a fungus Maliola mangiferae, resulting in sooty mould. R iceryodies is serious in South India. They are considered more important because if the control measures are not taken timely, the crop may be destroyed completely.

Control

Plough orchard during summer to expose eggs to natural enemies and sun heat. Remove weeds like Clerodendron infortunaturm which are additional hosts.  After mud plastering 25 cm width 400 gauge alkathene sheet may be fastened to the tree trunk 30 cm above the ground level in the month of December- January or use at sticky band on tree trunk to prevent migration of crawlers from soil to trees, one week before their emergence.

Raking the soil around the tree trunk and mixing of chlorpyriphos (1.5% dust) @250 gm per tree. The dust may also be sprinkled below the alkathene band on the tree.

Spray NSKE 4% or crude garlic oil 1% or Dimethoate 0.06 % or Acephate @ 2 gm/lt or Spirotetramat @ 0.3 ml/lit of water

Shoot Borer (Chlumetia transversa)

It causes serious damage to new flush of mango. The affected shoots wilt droop and finally get dried. The infested trees become stunted in growth and the shoot into which this larva is bored dies and does not flower subsequently flowering is inhibited. Young trees up to the age of 8-10 years are more damaged.

Control

Do not retain minor flushes during off season. Apply relatively higher dosage of potash. Prune the infested the shoots and burn. Spray at bud – sprouting stage with Carbaryl 0.1 % followed by Dimethoate 0.04% or Quinalphos 0.5% at 15 days interval from commencement of new flesh.

Stem Borer (Kaandam tolughu purugu) Batocera rufomaculata

 Damage is caused by the grub of this beetle as it feeds inside the stems, boring upwards and resulting in drying of branches and  in severe cases attacked tree is killed.  Grubs with robust body feeding on inside tissues will be observed when there is severe infestation.

Control

          The grubs can be extracted through hooked wires and then destroyed. Sthe insect can  be controlled by injecting in hole 0.02% dichlorvos ( DDVP)  or  0.05% endosulphan  @ 5 ml/holes or Celphos (aluminium phosphate)  one tablet (3g) per hole and then holes may be sealed with mud .  

Stone or Nut Weevil (Sternochaetus mangiferae,  S.frigidus )

           It is a common pest of mango in southern India. Another species, S. frigidus,of the pest is found in Assam and Bengal. Sweeter varieties such as Alphonso, Bangalora, Neelum, etc. are more prone to attack by this pest. Female lays eggs on the epicarp of partially developed fruits or under the rind of ripening fruits. Newly emerged grubs bore through the pulp, feed on seed coat and later cause damage to cotyledons. Pupation takes place inside the seed. Discolouration of the pulp adjacent to the affected portion has been observed. Eggs are minute and white in colour. Adult weevils are 5 to 8 mm long, stout and dark brown in colour. Life-cycle is completed in 40 to 50 days during June-July. Adults hibernate until the next fruiting season. There is only one generation in a year. Extent of damage in susceptible cultivars like Neelum, Totapuri and Banganpalli varies from 60 to 65 %.

Control

Collect fallen infested fruits and destroy. Spraying of apply sticky band at upper end of the trunk to prevent migration of weevils to branches for egg laying on fruits during February- March. Keep the tree basins clean to prevent hiding of diapausing weevils. Spray during of season (December – January) on tree trunk up to 2m height with fenthion 0.05%or Carbayl 0.1% or Deltamethrin 00025% six weeks after fruit set (especially at marble stage) and second spray may be given after 15 days.

Thrips (Rati Mangu) (Thrips hawaiiensis, Scirtothrips dorsalis)

          Thrips appear during flowering and fruiting stages where their infestation can be recognized during January on flowers and developing fruits causing ‘Mangu’ though initial infestation result in flower drop. Their impact on young fruits are seen in terms of rough surface as well as deshaping of fruits.

Control

          It can be controlled by spraying thiamethoxam @ 0.4 gm / litre of water or acephate 1.5 ml/lt of water or fipronil 2 ml / lt of water.

Leaf Webber (Orthaga euadrusalis)

           The infestation is severe in shady conditions. Old orchards with lesser space between tree canopies have more infestation than open orchards. The larvae of Orthaga spp web the leaves and the terminal shoots into clusters which harbor several of them in the initial stage. The larvae are gregarious in the beginning and feed by scrapping the leaf surface. Late instar larvae feed on whole leaf lamina leaving only midrib. Severs attack leads to drying of shoots / branches and reduction in fruit yield.

Control

          Supervise the orchard once in a month and search for webbed shoots. Prune the infested shoots and destroy them along with larvae during April – July. After pruning 2 to 3 sprays starting from last week of July at 15 days interval with Carbaryl 0.2% or quinalphos 0.05% have been found effective in controlling the pest.

Shoot gall psylla (Apsylla cistellata)

It is a very serious pest of mango in many parts of India, particularly in Terai region of U.P., North Bihar and West Bengal. This pest creates green conical galls in leaf axis. The activity of the pest starts from August. The galls dry out after emergence of psyllid adults in March. The galls are usually seen during September-October. Consequently, there is no fruit set. There is only one generation of the pest in a year.

Control

        The galls with nymphs inside should be collected and destroyed to prevent carryover of the pest. The pest can effectively be controlled by spraying monocrotophos (0.05%) or dimethoate (0.06%) or quinalphos (0.05 %) at 2 week intervals starting from the middle of August. The use of same chemical for every spray should be avoided.

 Mango fruit borer (Deanolis albizonalis)

              In coastal Andhra Pradesh the incidence of mango fruit borer is slowly increasing and assuming   as a serious problem on mango in some areas. The incidence is found right from pea size upto maturity stage. In initial stages upto 6-10 larvae are found in one fruit. fruits in one bunch are prone to attack due to migration of grown up larvae  to neighboring fruits as in case of nut weevil Newly emerged  larvae  bore through the pulp, feed on seed coat and later cause damage to cotyledons.  

Control

• After mango harvest removal of Dead wood from the tree
• Removal of diapausing stage of Mango fruit borer from cracks and crevices in the bark and dried twigs
• Removal and destruction of damaged and MFB infested fruits especially at pea and marble stages of the fruit
• In Second fort night of   January spray of chloripyriphos 2.5 ml or dichlorovas 1.5 ml or carbaryl 3 gms per litre of water especially in those garden where previous incidence of this recorded. Repeat spray of chloripyriphos 2.5 ml or dichlorovas 1.5 ml or carbaryl 3 gms or Neem oil 3ml + chloripyriphos 1 ml per litre of water at marble stage of the fruit. The sprayings should be preferably carried out during evening hours
• Spraying of NSKE 5 % at 10 days interval during the months of April and May  upto 15 days before harvest

 Red mite (Erra nalli) (Oligonychus mangiferous)

These mites both in nymphal and adult stages infest mango leaves. Their presence reflects in terms of scrapped chlorophyll resulting in yellowish tinge on upper side and white webs on underside of leaf.

Control

It can be controlled by spraying wettable sulphur 3gm/ litre of water or diafenthiuron   1 ml /lt of water.

Diseases

Powdery midew ( Budida Rogam) Oidium mangifere

          Powdery mildew is one of the most serious diseases of mango affecting almost all the varieties, Some times, as high as 70-80 per cent crop loss has been recorded on individual plant basis.

The characteristic symptom of the disease is the white superficial powdery fungal growth on leaves, stalks of panicles, flowers and young fruits. The affected flowers and fruits drop pre-maturely reducing the crop load considerably or might even prevent the fruit set. Rains or mists accompanied by cooler nights during flowering are congenial for the disease spread. The fungus parasitizes young tissues of all parts of the inflorescence, leaves and fruits.

Control

Following three sprays of fungicides at 15 days interval recommended for effective control of the disease Wettable sulphur 3-4 g/lit of water or Calixin 1 ml/lit or 1 ml Karathane / lit. water).

Anthracnose (Macha Rogam) Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes

          The anthracnose disease is of widespread occurrence. The disease causes serious losses to young shoots, flowers and fruits under favourable climatic conditions of high humidity, frequent rains and a temperature of 24-32^oC. It is also affects fruits during storage. The disease produces leaf spot; blossom blight, withertip, twig blight and fruit rot symptoms. Tender shoots and foliage are easily affected which ultimately cause die back of young branches. Older twigs may also be infected through wounds which in severe cases may be fatal.

Black spots develop on panicles as well as on fruits. Severe infection destroys the entire inflorescence resulting in no setting of fruits. Young infected fruits develop black spots, shrivel and drop off. Fruits infected at mature stage carry the fungus into storage and cause considerable loss during storage, transit and marketing. The fungus perpetuates on twigs and leaves of mango or other hosts.

Control

Dead twigs should be pruned to reduce inoculum potential Trees may be sprayed twice with Carbendazim @ 1g/lit or Thiophenate methyl 1g/lit at 15 days interval during flowering to control blossom infection. Spraying of copper fungicides (0.3%) is recommended for the control of foliar infection.

Bacterial canker (Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae)

               The disease causes fruit drop (10-70%), yield loss (10-85%) and storage rot (5-100%). Many commercial cultivars of mango including Langra, Dashehari, Amrapali, Mallika, and Totapuri are susceptible to this disease. The disease is found on leaves, petioles, twigs, branches and fruits, initially producing water-soaked lesions and later turning into typical cankers. The disease first appears as minute water-soaked irregular lesions on any part of leaf or leaf lamina. The lesions are light yellow in colour but with age, enlarge and turn dark brown to black. They become angular, cankerous and raised, and are surrounded by chlorotic halos. Several lesions coalesce to form irregular necrotic cankerous patches. In severe infections the leaves turn yellow and drop off. Cankerous lesions appear on petioles, twigs and young fruits. The water soaked lesions also develop on fruits which later turn dark brown to black. They often burst open, releasing highly contagious gummy ooze containg bacterial cells. The fresh lesions on branches and twigs are water soaked which later become raised and dark brown in colour with longitudinal cracks but without any ooze.
Control

• Seedling certification, inspection and orchard sanitation.
• Three sprays of streptocycline (100 ppm) or Agrimycin-100 (100 ppm) after first visual symptom at 10-days intervals.
• Monthly sprays of Bavistin (1000 ppm) or copper oxychloride (3000 ppm) were also found effective.