IPM Stratergies for Ber

Ber Beneficial Insects Parasitoids Egg parasitoids Egg larval parasitoid Larval parasitoids Nymphal larval and adult par...

Ber Beneficial Insects

1. Parasitoids
1. Egg parasitoids
2. Egg larval parasitoid
3. Larval parasitoids
4. Nymphal larval and adult parasitoids
2. Predators
3. IPM for Ber

Natural Enemies of Ber Insect Pests

Parasitoids

Egg parasitoids

Egg larval parasitoid

Larval parasitoids

Nymphal larval and adult parasitoids

Predators

IPM for Ber

To know the IPM practices for Ber, click here.

Source: NIPHM; Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage

 

3.02   

 

45 ratings and

Ber Crop Stage Wise IPM

1. Pre- planting
2. Planting
3. Vegetative stage
4. Reproductive/ Fruiting stage

Management

Activity

Pre- planting

	Common cultural practices: Deep ploughing of fields during summer. Field sanitation, rogueing Use resistant/tolerant varieties. Grow the attractant, repellent plants around the field bunds. Apply manures and fertilizers as per soil test recommendations
Nutrients	Apply nutrients on the basis of soil test report and recommendation for the particular agro-climatic zone. The pits of 60x60x60 cm size are dug during summer are dug in summer a month before planting. Fill the pits with top soil mixed with 25 kg FYM treated with Trichoderma .
Weeds	Ploughing, harrowing, leveling and removing the weeds before planting.
Soil-borne pathogens, and resting stages of insects	Cultural control: Deep summer ploughing of fields to exposes dormant stages (pupa and larva) and subsequently reduces their initial population build up.

Planting

	Common cultural practices: Plant resistant varieties. Practice field sanitation. Timely planting with recommended spacing.
Nutrients	· Planting is done in pits already filled with top soil and farm yard manure. Apply 20 g each of Azospirullum and mycorrhizae per plant at planting.
Weeds	Use weed free seedlings for planting. Remove existing weeds in and around the pits at the time of planting.
Diseases and insect pests	Cultural control: Grow resistant varieties viz., Safeda selected, glory, Dhaka 1 and Dhaka – 2 resistant to powdery mildew, Banarsi Pewandi, Ajmeri, Gola,Gurgaon and Jhajjar resistant to fruit borer and Umran, Tikkady tolerant to fruit fly Follow ring method for irrigation to reduce collar rot
Leaf spot	Cultural control: Avoid planting in low-lying areas and flooding. Do not delay irrigation until the crop exhibits moisture stress symptoms.
Die back**	Cultural control: Scion wood selected for propagation should be free from infection Prevent introduction of disease in newly planted orchards. Mechanical control: Any infected portion be pruned immediately, followed by pasting with cow dung at the cut ends. Pruning should be done in such a way that some healthy portion is also removed, to ensure complete eradication of pathogen (3 “below the infection site).
Application of Trichoderma harzianum/ viride and Pseudomonas fluorescens for treatment of seed/seedling/planting materials in the nurseries and field application (if commercial products are used, check for label claim. However, biopesticides produced by farmers for own consumption in their fields, registration is not required).

Vegetative stage

	Common cultural practices: Deep ploughing (two/three times) between rows to expose the hibernating pupae to sunlight and predatory birds. Keep the orchard clean and healthy Remove and destroy alternate wild hosts Common mechanical practices: Prune diseased leaves and malformed panicles harbouring the pathogen to reduce primary inoculum load. Remove and destroy the diseased orchard. Remove plant debris The infected branches should be collected and burnt Remove the infected leaves in the lower rows. Set up light trap@1trap/acre Collect and destroy egg mass and larvae. Use yellow sticky traps @ 4-5/acre Common biological practices: Conserve natural enemies through ecological engineering Augmentative release of natural enemies
Nutrients	Apply fertilizers according to the age of plant as mentioned below; Manures & Fertilizers (per plant/year) 1st year 2nd year onwards FYM 20kg 50 kg N 200 g 500 g P 100 g 200 g K 200 g 500 9 The manures and fertilizers should be applied in 20-30 cm deep and 30 cm wide trench along the drip line of the tree.
Weeds	Intercultural operations like ploughing, harrowing etc. should be done on regular basis especially around the plants. To suppress the weeds between rows, leguminous crops like green gram, mothbean, clusterbean, chickpea, cow pea and vegetables e.g. chillies can be grown as intercrops during initial 5 years. Use straw or black polyethylene ‘mulch’ to avoid weed growth and to maintain soil moisture for longer period. Use slashing and moving between the rows to control the weeds.
Leaf spot	As mentioned above in the seedling stage
Powdery mildew	Cultural control: Spraying at full bloom needs to be avoided. Alkathene bands should be cleaned at regular interval Chemical control: Spraying of carbendazim 50% WP @ 10 g diluted in 10 l water per tree.
Blue butter fly	Cultural control: Remove the infested leaves from the plant.
Green slug Caterpillar	Cultural control: Leaflets have to be observed for fresh incidence by cutting 1-2 leaf fronds.
Grey hairy caterpillar	Cultural control: Irrigate once to avoid prolonged mid-season drought to prevent pre-harvest infestation. Mechanical control: Dig the pit of 1 inch depth between the orchids & dust to kill the larvae in pits. Biological control: Follow common biological practices.
Bark eating caterpillar	Cultural control: Remove frassy galleries and paint the bark. Application of the solution, made up by mixing 1 lit of kerosene and 100 g soap in 9 lit of water to the holes effectively controls the bark eating caterpillar.
Mite	Cultural control: Regular field monitoring & use sweep net in the morning hrs for monitoring of pest & defender population, barrier crops like mustard crop around the field. Grow attractant plants like French bean Plant tall border crops like maize, sorghum or millet to reduce pest population. Biological control: Follow common biological practices. Plant tall border crops such as maize, sorghum etc. as barrier crops
	Cultural control: Avoid excess use of nitrogen. Growing tomato or marigold as a trap crop. Mechanical control: See the common mechanical practices Biological control: Follow common biological practices.
Leaf eating caterpillar	Mechanical control: At early and smaller scale, pluck the leaves with egg masses and young caterpillars and destroy.
Lac insect	Mechanical control: Remove and destroy the infested dry part and scrap off the infested twig before treatment

Reproductive/ Fruiting stage

Nutrients	Spray 2% KNO3 thrice at monthly intervals in January, February and March. Apply recommended micronutrients, if deficiency symptoms are observed. For the correction of Zinc and Boron deficiency, apply Zinc suphate @ 0.5% and Boric acid @ 0.1%, respectively as foliar spray.
Weeds	Remove weeds around the plants. Continue to use straw or black polyethylene mulch to avoid weed growth and to maintain soil moisture for longer period.
Fruit fly	Cultural control: Clean cultivation/sanitation of orchards by picking and destroying the infested fruits should be done. To escape egg laying on fruits, harvest at green and firm stage and do not allow the fruit to ripe on the tree. Destroy the hibernating pupae by exposing them to bright sunlight and birds Prior to harvest, collect and dispose off infested and fallen fruits to prevent further, multiplication and carry-over of population. If infestation is heavy, bait splash on the trunk only, once or twice at weekly interval is recommended. To prepare bait splash, mix 100 g of jaggery in one litre of water and add 1 ml of deltamethrin by using an old broom. Mechanical control: Male annihilation technique: Set up fly trap using methyl eugenol. Prepare methyl eugenol 1 ml/L of water + 1 ml of malathion solution. Take 10 ml of this mixture per trap and keep them at 25 different places in one ha between 6 and 8 AM. Collect and destroy the adult flies. Biological control: Follow common biological practices. The extract of azadiractin 1% and Ocimum sanctum 1% were effective up to 10 days after spraying. Application of neem powder and tobacco leaf extracts would also significantly reduce C. vesuviana damage and they could be the potential candidates for organic cultivation of ber
Fruit borer	Cultural control: Removal of wild ber trees around the ber orchard. Rack the soil under the tree or near the trees to destroy the maggots and pupae present in the soil. Collection and proper destruction of infested fallen fruits. Harvest of fruits at immediate after maturity (green stage).
Stone weevil**	Cultural control: The pest feeds only on the seed portion of developing fruits and arrest further development of attacked fruit. The entry hole is healed up and closed while the exit hole can be clearly seen. Collection and destruction of adult weevil immediately after detection can also reduce the population. Infested dropped fruits should be collected and burned to break the generation cycle.
Mite, Leaf eating caterpillar and Lac insect	As mentioned in the above vegetative stage
Fruit rot	Cultural control: Using disease-free transplants is the most effective method for controlling. Use of drip irrigation, limits the dispersal of the pathogen. Plants are also more sensitive to infection under high fertility conditions. Reduced nitrogen rates or the use of nitrate rather than ammonium nitrogen sources may also reduce
Powdery mildew	As mentioned in the above vegetative stage
Sooty mould	Cultural control: Pruning of affected branches and their prompt destruction prevents the spread of the disease
Birds	Mechanical control: Use bird scarers Biological control: Apply NSKE 5% on panicle to save the damage from birds

Note: The pesticide dosages and spray fluid volumes are based on high volume spray.

Source: NIPHM; Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage

 

3.21   

 

33 ratings

Ber Diseases

1. Fruit rot
2. Powdery Mildew
3. Sooty mould
4. Leaf spot
5. Die back
6. Disease cycles
7. IPM for Ber

Fruit rot

Disease symptom:

• Phoma fruit rot: The disease appears on the ripening fruit. The infected fruits remain small and develop slightly depressed, dark brown spots near the stem ends. The lesions become irregular in shape and measure 15-25 mm in diameter.
• Alternaria fruit rot: Slightly depressed, brown to dark brown, circular lesions appear on the fruit. Sometimes concentric rings are also present on these spots. The smaller spots coalesce to form larger spots.
• Colletotrichum fruit rot: The disease appears at the start of ripening of the fruit in the form of small, slightly depressed, light brown, water-soaked lesions. These spots coalesce and enlarge. Under humid conditions, the acervuli are formed in masses on these spots.
• Trichothecium fruit rot : The disease is observed during the spring in the form of pink spots on the fruits. The fungus can survive in the soil for a long time. Fruits touching the soil may become infected and develop symptoms.
• Cladosporium fruit rot: The disease appears near the time of fruit ripening. Injured fruits become infected. The symptoms of the disease start from the tip of the fruit forming light brown to dark brown spots. Later, a greenish fungal growth is also seen on these spots.

Transmission and favourable conditions:

Phoma fruit rot

• The fungus survives in plant debris, the primary source of infection.

Alternaria fruit rot

• The fungus survives in debris and soil.
• The fruits touching the soil become infected and the disease spreads later by dissemination of spores through the air.

Colletotrichum fruit rot

• Being saprophytic the pathogen survives in soil, along with the debris, for along period.
• This becomes the primary source of infection.
• The spores are present in the air and act as secondary sources of infection and are disseminated by rain splashes.

Cladosporium fruit rot

• It is also spread by spores present in the air.
• The fungal spores survive in plant debris and soil, the primary sources of infection.

Powdery Mildew

Disease symptom:

• The symptoms of the disease are noticed on flowers and newly set fruits.
• The disease may appear earlier if conditions are favourable. The developing young leaves show a whitish powdery mass, which causes them to shrink and defoliate.
• The disease also appears in the form of white powdery spots on the surface of the fruits and later covers the whole fruit surface. The spots turn into light brown to dark brown discolouration. The infected area becomes slightly raised and rough.
• Affected fruits either drop off prematurely or become corky,cracked, misshapen and remain underdeveloped. Sometimes the whole crop is rendered unmarketable.

Survival and spread:

• The powdery mildew fungus overwinters in dormant buds. When conditions are favourable for growth of the fungus in spring, spores are produced, released, and cause new infections. Secondary spread of the disease can occur if spores are produced in these new infections

Favourable condition:

• The development of powdery mildew is favour by relative humidity around 80-85% and temperature range of 24-26°C.

Sooty mould

Disease symptom:

• The disease is common in the orchards where mealy bug, scale insect and hopper are not controlled efficiently.
• The disease in the field is recognize by the presence of a black velvety coating, i.e., sooty mould on the leaf surface. In severe cases the trees turn completely black due to the presence of mould over the entire surface of twigs and leaves.
• The severity of infection depends on the honey dew secretion by the above said insects. Honey dew secretions from insects sticks to the leaf surface and provide necessary medium for fungal growth.

Survival and spread:

• The severity of infection depends on the honey dew secretions by the scale insects which provide the necessary medium for the fungal growth.
• Transmission occurs by air-borne ascospores.

Favourable conditions:

• High humidity and moist situation favours the development of disease.

Leaf spot

Disease symptom:

• Black leaf spot: The disease is characterised by sooty tuft-like circular to irregular black spots on the underside of the leaves. Later, it covers the entire lower surface giving a sooty appearance. The leaves show yellowish and brownish discolouration on the upper surface and drop prematurely.
• Cercospora leaf spot: The disease manifests itself in the form of circular to oval spots, measuring up to 4 mm in diameter, epiphyllous, yellow at first and turning brown surrounded by a darkbrown margin. The spots grow larger and become visible on both sides of the leaves. The infected leaves fall off. Cercospora leaf spot is also found on Chinese jujube, causing leaf yellowing.
• Cladosporium leaf spot: The symptoms appear in the form of small, light brown to brown irregular spots on the lower surface of leaves. The disease starts on leaves closest to the soil surface, where the fungus occurs.

Transmission and favourable conditions:

Black leaf spot

• The fungus survives in plant debris and soil, which are the primary sources of infection.
• Secondary infection is initiated from spores present in the air.

Cercospora leaf spot

• The fungus produces dark coloured stroma.
• It survives in debris and soil, the primary sources of infection.
• The spores are disseminated by wind.

Cladosporium leaf spot

• It is also spread by spores present in the air.
• The fungal spores survive in plant debris and soil, the primary sources of infection.

Die back

Disease symptom:

• The pathogen causing dieback, tip dieback, graft union blight, twig blight, seedling rot, wood stain, stem-end rot, black root rot, fruit rot, dry rot, brown rot of panicle etc. The disease is most conspicuous during October- November.
• It is characterized by drying back of twigs from top downwards, particularly in older trees followed by drying of leaves which gives an appearance of fire scorch. Internal browning in wood tissue is observed when it is slit open along with the long axis.
• Cracks appear on branches and gum exudes before they die out.

Survival and spread:

• Pathogens survive in plant debris which is the source of primary inoculums.

Favourable conditions:

• High humidity and moist conditions favours the development of disease. The disease is most common in October-November.

Disease cycles

Fruit rot:

Powdery mildew:

Sooty mould:

Leaf spot:

Die back:

IPM for Ber

To know the IPM practices for Ber, click here.

Source: NIPHM; Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage

 

2.9   

 

31 ratings

Ber Insect and Mite Pests

1. Fruit fly
2. Green slug caterpillar
3. Mite
4. Grey Hairy caterpillar
5. Bark eating caterpillar: Indarbela quadrinotata
6. Leaf miner
7. Fruit borer
8. Stone weevil
9. IPM for Ber

Fruit fly

Biology:

• Egg: Female flies insert eggs under the skin of fruit in clusters of 10 to 50 about 1/25 to 1/8 inch below the fruit surface. The eggs measure about 1/25 by 1/250 inch and are white, elongate, and elliptical. They hatch in 1-1/2 days.
• Larva: The white larva is legless, and resembles an elongated cone. The mouth is at the pointed end of the body. There are 3 larval stages, or instars. The third instar is about 2/5 inch long. The entire larval stage lasts for 11-15 days.
• Pupa: When mature, larvae drop to the ground and pupate in the soil. The puparium is yellowish-brown and seed-like. Adults emerge in about 10 days.
• Adult: Generally, the abdomen has two horizontal black stripes and a longitudinal median stripe extending from the base of the third segment to the apex of the abdomen. These markings may form a "T" shaped pattern, but the pattern varies considerably. Females begin to lay eggs about 8 days after emergence from the puparium. Under optimum conditions, a female can lay more than 3,000 eggs during her lifetime, but under field conditions approximately 1,200 to 1,500 eggs per female is considered to be the usual production.

Damage symptom:

• Infestation starts with the onset of fruit setting.
• The excreta of the larva accumulate in the galleries, which may sometimes result in rotting of the fruit.
• Infested fruits become deformed and their growth becomes checked. A large number of such fruits drop off.

Natural enemies of fruit fly:

Parasitoids: Fopius arisanus, Diachasmimorpha kraussi

Green slug caterpillar

Biology

• Egg: Eggs are laid in groups and covered with hairs on the leaves. Egg period is 4-5 days.

• Larva: Larva is stout, slug like ventrally flat, greenish body with white lines and four rows of spiny scoli tipped red or black; larval period is 40-45 days.
• Pupa: It pupates in plant as cocoons covered with irritating spines and hairs
• Adult: Adult moth is green with brown band at the base of each forewing.

Damage symptom:

• Larva feeds on leaves voraciously leaving only the midrib and veins resulting in severe defoliation

Mite

Biology:

• Egg: Eggs are oval shaped and white in colour. Eggs are glued firmly on the leaf surface. Eggs large, obovate, flattened at the bottom; eggs hatches after 27-32 hours.
• Nymph: Nymphs white in colour.
• Adult: Adults large, oval and broad and yellowish in colour. Females are yellowish and bigger than the males and they carrying the “female nymphs” on their back.

Damage symptom:

• Mite is seen on young leaves especially the top two to three leaves and the bud.
• Affected leaves become rough and brittle and corky lines.
• Downward curling.
• Internodes get shortened.
• Mites produce galls in floral buds preventing fruit production. Natural enemies of mite: Predators: Predatory mites, predatory thrips, Oligota spp., Orius spp. (pirate bug), hover flies, mirid bug

Grey Hairy caterpillar

Biology:

• Egg: Female lays eggs in masses on leaves.
• Larva: The larvae are pale yellow coloured with yellow hair over the body. They are polyphagous, feed on leaves and cause loss by way of defoliation. In severe cases only stems are left behind. In defoliated crops it also feeds on capsules.
• Pupa: Pupates in leaf litter close to the plants. There are several generation per year.
• Adult: Adult moth is reddish brown with black spots. Both the wings are pinkish and possess black spots

Damage symptom:

• Caterpillars feed on the young leaves and fruits.
• The older caterpillars spread in all directions and devour leaves and fruits and sometimes even tender shoots.
• They start eating new foliage as it grows after pruning and this is continued by overlapping generations.

Natural enemies of grey hairy caterpillars:

Predators: Chrysoperla Coccinellids

Bark eating caterpillar: Indarbela quadrinotata

Biology:

• Eggs: Spherical eggs, usually singly, are laid in bark cracks. 350 eggs on bark in MayJune, larval period is about 8-11 days. Number of generation : 1/year
• Larva: Larval period 8-10 months till about 3rd week of April. The larval stage is for about 10 months. The larva is brown to black, shiny, sparsely hairy and measures 4.5- 5.0 cm before pupation.
• Pupa: Pupation inside larval tunnel, pupal period is about 21-41 days.
• Adult: Moth is creamy white with brown markings on the forewing. Moth longevity is 3 days.

Damage symptom:

• The caterpillars feed on the bark of the tree during night.
• They bore inside the trunk or main stems and eat through the bark in to the wood.
• The affected portion is covered with large silken webs.
• In case of severe infestation plants may die.

Life Cycle:

Leaf miner

Biology

• Egg: Egg are very tiny (about 1.0 mm long and 0.2 mm wide), greyish or yellowish white and slightly translucent. They are laid inside the leaf tissue, just below the leaf surface. In some instances eggs are laid below the epidermis of fruits/pods (e.g. peas). Eggs hatch in about 3 days.
• Larva: They are small yellow maggots (about 2 to 3 mm long when fully-grown). They are found feeding inside the leaf tissue, leaving a long, slender, winding, white tunnels (mines) through the leaf. They pass through 3 larval stages. After 5 to 7 days the maggots leave the mines and pupate either on the leaf surface or - more commonly - in the soil. In some cases, maggots pupate within the mines.
• Pupa: Pupae are very small, about 2 mm long and 0.5 mm wide) oval, slightly flattened ventrally with variable colour varying from pale yellow-orange to golden-brown. They have a pair of cone-like appendages at the posterior end of the body. Adults emerge 4 to 5 days after pupation.
• Adult: adults are small, about 2 mm long. They are greyish to black with yellow markings. Female flies are slightly larger than males. The life cycle varies with host and temperature. The average life cycle is approximately 21 days in warm conditions, but can be as short as 15 days. Thus, populations can increase rapidly.

Fruit borer

The fruit borer Meridarchis scyrodes is a serious pest in Southern states of India.

Biology:

• Adult fly is small dark brown in colour with fringed wings. Early instar larva is light yellowish and full-grown larva is red in colour.
• Female lays an average of 13.29 eggs and incubation period found to be 4-5 days. The larval and pupal stages completed in 14-18 and 8-9 days, respectively.
• Under laboratory conditions at 31 ± 1°C and 60-80% R.H and life cycle completes within 26-32 days.
• Longevity of adult male and female observed to be 3-4 and 4-5 days, respectively.

Damage symptoms:

• The pest causes up to 70% yield loss under severe infestation. The moths lay eggs on fruits at pea stage and upon hatching the newly emerged caterpillars bore into fruits and feed on the pulp near seed and accumulate fecal.
• The first and second instar larvae feeds on the fruit superficially but third to fifth instar larvae feeds internally and damages the pulp around the seed. At initial stages of fruit development, the full grown larvae found to feed on soft immature seed.

Stone weevil

Occurrence and distribution:

• The stone weevil, A. himalayanus is recorded as a new pest of ber. At first it was recorded as a new pest of ber for the first time from Andhra Pradesh state of India.
• Later, from Rahuri, Maharashtra and Jobner, Rajasthan of India in 1996 and recently in Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India during 2010.
• Apart from India, the severe damage of this pest at early stage of fruit development has also been reported from Bangladesh.

Biology:

• The adult weevils are small dark in colour with snout. The grubs are white in colour with red marking on the bogy, which are present inside the seeds (Karuppaiah et al., 2010). The activity of adult beetle could be observed in the field during morning and evening hours and the biology of this pest is not studied so far.

Life cycle:

Damage symptoms:

• Grubs directly damage the fruits by tunneling inside seeds and adult weevil also blemishes mature fruit by ovi-punctures. The activity of adult beetle could be observed in the field during morning and evening hours.
• The adult female weevil lays their eggs mostly on the stylar end; rarely on the distal end of fruits and egg laid punctures covered with brown encrustation.
• Upon hatching, the grubs enter into seed by puncturing endocarp at immature stage and starts feeding on soft seed coat. Later it enters into endosperm moving downward. After entering the seed, it starts feeding on inner content of the seed, and pupates within the seed by making hallow galleries.
• The weevil completes its life within a single fruit. The developing soft seed was completely eaten away by the pest. At the time of fruit maturity, in the hollowed area, infested fruits had a grub, a pupa or an adult.
• The infestation occurs in all the fruit stages; however, it is prevalent in pea to pebble size fruits. Infested fruits are abnormal shape and nearly half portion of the fruit towards stalk turns reddish brown with rough surface and the remaining half portion towards stylar region remains greenish colour. Often, infested fruits fail to attain full maturity.

IPM for Ber

To know the IPM practices for Ber, click here.

Source: NIPHM; Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage

 

3   

 

28 ratings

Ber Pests

1. Pests of National Significance
1. Insect and mite pests
2. Diseases
2. Weeds
1. Broad leaf
2. Grassy weeds
3. Sedge
3. Birds
4. Pest of Regional Significance
1. Insect pests
2. Diseases
5. IPM for Ber

Pests of National Significance

Insect and mite pests

• Fruit fly: Carpomyia vesuviana Costa (Diptera: Tephritidae)
• Fruit borer: Meridarchis scyrodes Meyr (Lepidoptera: Carposinidae)
• Green slug caterpillar: Thosea sp. (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae)
• Mite: Larvacarus transitans Ewing (Tetranychoidea: Tenuipalpidae)
• Grey hairy caterpillar: Thiacidas postica Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Diseases

• Fruit rot: Alternaria spp, Phoma spp., Colletotrichum spp., Trichothecium spp, Cladosporium spp.
• Powdery mildew: Oidium erysiphoides f. sp. ziziphi Link
• Sooty mould: Capnodium spp.
• Leaf spot: Isariopsis clavispora Berk. & M.A. Curtis, Cercospora spp, Cladosporium spp Link

Weeds

Broad leaf

• Tick weed: Cleome viscosa L. (Capparidaceae)
• Coat buttons: Tridax procumbens L.( Asteraceae)
• Congress grass: Parthenium hysterophorus L. Asteraceae
• Horse Purslane: Trainthema portulacastrum L. (Aizoaceae)
• Lambs quarter: Chenopodium album L (Chenopodiaceae)
• Yellow sweet clover: Melilotus indica (L.) All. (Fabaceae)
• Spurge: Euphorbia hirta L. (Euphorbiaceae)
• Sorrel: Reumex dentatus L. (Acanthaceae)
• False amaranthus: Digera arvensis Forsk (Amaranthaceae)
• Common cocklebur: Xanthium strumarium L (Euphorbiaceae)
• Puncture Vine: Tribulus terrestris L (Zygophyllaceae)
• Creeping thistle: Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. (Asteraceae)

Grassy weeds

• Crabgrass: Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. Poaceae
• Yellow foxtail: Setaria glauca (L.) P. Beauv. (Poaceae)
• Bermuda grass: Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. Poaceae
• Torpedo grass: Panicum repens L. (Poaceae)
• Crows foot grass: Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd (Poaceae)

Sedge

• Purple nutsedge: Cyperus rotundus L. Cyperaceae
• Yellow nut sedge: Cyperus esculentus L. Cyperaceae

Birds

• Rose ringed parakeet: Psittacula krameri Scopoli (Psittaciformes: Psittaculidae)

Pest of Regional Significance

Insect pests

• Stone Weevil: Aubeus himalayanus Voss (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
• Bark eating caterpillar: Indarbela quadrinotata walker (Lepidoptera: Metarbedelidae)
• Blue butterfly: Tarucus theophrastus (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
• Mite, Eriophyes cernus Mssee (Acari: Eriophyidae)
• Leaf miner: Cameraria spp (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)
• Grey weevil: Myllocerus undecimpustulatus Marshall Faust, M. dentifer (Fabricius), M. blandus Faust, Amblyrrhinus poricolli Schoenherr(Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
• Leaf eating caterpillar: Euproctis spp (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)
• Lac insect: Kerria sp

Diseases

• Die back: Phytophthora spp.
• Black fruit spot: Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl.

IPM for Ber

To know the IPM practices for Ber, click here.

Source: NIPHM; Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage

 

0   

 

0 ratings and

Insect pest of Ber in Hot Arid Region

1. Ber fruit fly (Carpomyia vesuviana)
2. Ber stone weevil (Aubeus himalayanus)
3. Ber butterfly (Tarucus theophrastus)
4. Ber fruit borer (Meridarchis scyrodes)
5. Bark eating caterpillar (Indarbela quadrinotata)
6. Ber weevil
7. Termite (Odontotermes obesus)
8. Related resources

Ber fruit fly (Carpomyia vesuviana)

• This fruit fly is the most destructive pest of ber.
• It is a monophagous pest that infests only on Zizyphus species growing under arid and semi arid region in India and also in Oriental Asia, Middle East, Temperate Asia, China and South Europe.
• It contributes towards low yield and poor quality of fruits and causes yield loss upto 80% under severe infestation.

Host Range

• Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana, Z. numularia, Z. rotundifolia)

Nature of Damage

• The maggots start infestation with the onset of fruit setting.

• The fly lays eggs singly in the young developing fruits.
• After 2 to 5 days the newly hatched maggot’s starts feeding on the pulp and make galleries with accumulated excreta and result in rotting of fruits.
• The larva burrow the flesh round the centre leaving excreta that give fruits a bitter taste.
• In arid region, the infestation starts from end of September and the higher incidence is during December-January.

Description:

• The fruit fly is easily distinguished in having distinctive pattern of black marks on the scutum and scutellum, and distinct yellow and brown bands on the wings.

• Two to three generations are completed from November to April.
• Eggs are laid in cavities made on the fruit with the ovipositor.
• The punctures appear as black spots in depression later on.
• Maggots bore into the pulp forming reddish brown galleries.
• The full grown maggot falls to ground to pupate in soil 5 to 7.5 cm deep for periods varying from 14 to 300 days depending upon the climate.

Management

The fruit fly cause internal damage, preventive measures are essential and synthetic insecticides are major tools for the successful management. However, integrated approaches would give better control over single control approach with low cost and environmentally safe.

• Clean cultivation surrounding the orchard through destruction of pruned parts of cultivated as well as the wild bushes.
• Collection of all fallen, bird damaged and infested fruits at periodical interval and proper destruction and feed such fruits to sheep goats, camels or other farm animals or bury them at least on one meter deep in compact soil can avoid the fly’s emergence.
• Deep and through racking up of soil during hot summer to expose the residual pupa to hot summer it also been destroy the over wintering pupae through mechanical injury during the operations.
• Use of resistance varieties like Tikadi, Katha and Illaichi for fruit fly management.
• There is no successful record of parasitoids, predators and pathogens against the C. vesuviana. The braconid, Biostres vandenboschi, Bracon fletcheri and Omphalia sp. on ber fruitfly were reported. The wasp parasitoid, Fopius carpomyia was found at larval stage of fruitfly and the ovipositor is very suitable to parasitize the hidden host in fruits. The rate of parasitization was upto 28.8% under natural condition.
• The extract of azadiractin 1% and Ocimum sanctum 1% were effective up to 10 days after spraying. Application of neem powder and tobacco leaf extracts would also significantly reduce C. vesuviana damage and its used for organic cultivation of ber.
• Bait spray combining molasses or jaggery 10 g/L and one of the insecticides, malathion 50 EC 2 ml/L, dimethoate 30 EC 2ml/L of two rounds at fortnight interval before ripening of the fruits.

Ber stone weevil (Aubeus himalayanus)

• Ber stone weevil, Aubeus himalayanus was recorded as a new pest of ber for the first time from Karnataka state of India in 1993.

Host Range

• Ber

Nature of Damage

• When damaged fruits are cut open, the developing seed is completely eaten away by the pest.
• In the hollowed area, each of these fruits have a grub, a pupa or an adult which is identified as ber seed weevil.

• The infested fruits are round in shape and varied in size ranging from pea to pebble.
• The fruits do not attain maturity and never increase in size more than pebble.

Description

• Black colour egg laid with marking in the stylar end of fruits.
• Mouth parts are converted into snout.
• The grubs are white in color.
• The adult is blackish color with abdomen rounded.

• Seasonal occurrence of the pest studied over two seasons indicate that only one peak is observed during July-August months.

Management

• Collection and destruction of adult weevil immediately after detection can also reduce the population. Infested dropped fruits should be collected and burned to break the generation cycle.
• Deep and through racking up of soil during hot summer to expose the residual adult to hot summer, it also been destroy the over wintering adult through mechanical injury during the operations.
• The influence of biophysical factors of ber fruits plays a major role on the intensity of damage by ber stone weevil. The varieties of ber like Kali, Katha, Illaichi and Tikadi were found resistant to stone weevil. The fruit infestation ranged from 9.02 to 49.88 % on retained fruits and 13.57 to 74.16% on drooped fruits. Tannins, phenols, alkaloids and flavonoid contents had significant negative correlations with the percentage fruit infestation on plant fruits and the fallen fruits. The highest pulp: stone ratio was found in variety Mundia and least in variety Tikadi. Most of the resistant varieties were having extremely hardy stones and in susceptible varieties the stones were slightly hard.
• NSKE 5% and azadirachtin 2000ppm and 1000ppm were also found to be superior over control treatment in minimizing the weevil incidence.
• Application of spinosad 2.5 SC and indoxacarb 14.5 EC or dimethoate 30 EC just before the fruit setting and repeat the sprays at three weeks interval was found effective and showed significant reduction in weevil incidence.

Ber butterfly (Tarucus theophrastus)

• It is found in Northern and Western Africa, Arabia, Persia, Baluchistan, N.W. Himalayas, Assam, Punjab, Western, Central and Southern India, Srilanka and Upper Burma.

Host Range

• Ber

Nature of Damage

• The ber trees are always severely pruned during May-June and the newly sprouting tender shoots and leaves are attacked by ber butterfly.
• Due to its attack, the leaves dry up and tender shoots do not grow properly.
• Larvae feed on sprouting tender shoots, leaves and flower buds. Infested leaves gives whitish look due to feeding of chlorophyll and finally the leaves remain with long streaks.

Description

• Female upper side: dark brown; bases of the wings suffused with bluish scales.
• Fore wing: the transverse discocellular spot continues posteriorly by a black spot in interspace to coalescent with a similar spot.

• The larva just half an inch in length when full grown, is much flattened, the head is pale ochreous and completely hidden under the second segment.
• Colour pale green, the whole upper surface is covered with a shagreening of small white tubercles.

Management

• Spray of dimethoate 0.05%, deltamethrin 0.0014% and fenvalerate 0.0005% would be most effective against 3rd to 6th instar larvae.
• Quinalphos (0.05%) and triazophos (0.1%) were also effective against larval population and leaves damage.

Ber fruit borer (Meridarchis scyrodes)

• It is distributed all over the country. It is not a major pest of Bikaner area but it is major in Sirohi, Jalore, Barmer districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Host

• It is a polyphagous pest and feeds on crops like ber, aonla etc.

Nature of Damage

• The larva bores into the fruit feeding on the pulp and accumulating faecal frass within.
• Up to 40% of the fruits are damaged during July and August.

Description

• Adult is a small dark brown moth. Eggs are laid on young fruits.
• Early instar larva is light yellowish and full-grown larva is red in colour.
• Pupation takes place in the soil.
• Adult emerges from the soil.

Management

• Removal of wild ber trees around the ber orchard.
• Rack the soil under the tree or near the trees to destroy the maggots and residual pupae present in the soil.
• Collection and proper destruction of infested fallen fruits. Harvest of fruits at immediate after maturity (green stage).
• Growing of resistant cultivars like Safeda, Illaichi and Tikadi to found less incidence of fruit borer.
• The Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE) at 5% found as effective as like synthetic chemicals. Methanol extracts of Annona reticulata, Azadirachta indica and Ocimum sanctum at 1% concentration recorded 60-70 % mortality after 48h after spray.
• Sprays of dimethoate 30 EC + jaggery solution (1.0%) at marble stage and one spray at maturation stage resulted in minimum infestation and found to be more economical. Control schedule comprises of malathion at 2 ml or fenvalerate at 1 ml /lit of water first spray at marble stage, second spray at 15 days later and third spray at fruit ripening stage by alternate use of insecticides would be effective against the fruit borer

Bark eating caterpillar (Indarbela quadrinotata)

• It is found worldwide. In India it is found in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat etc.

Host Range

• It is a polyphagous pest and feeds on ber, aonla, mango, citrus etc.

Nature of Damage

• The freshly hatched larvae feed on the surface of tree trunks.
• It makes winding galleries of frassy web on the stem near the forks and angles of branches.
• When strong enough, they bore inside the trunks and move about inside the concealed silken gallery and feed on the bark by scraping which interrupts the translocation of cell sap and adversely affecting growth and fruit setting capacity of the tree.
• Ribbon like or pipe like webbings on the stem near forks or angles of branches and the tree trunk is the clear indication of its damage.
• The caterpillar is hidden-in the stem in the day-time and becomes active at night, eating the bark.
• Heavy infestation by this pest stunts the trees and adversely affects fruit yield.

Description

• The female moths are pale brownish with forewings having row of dark rusty red spots. In females, abdomen has a tuft of hairs at its tip.
• Males, length varies from 22- 25 mm while in females 32-34 mm.
• It lays eggs with the onset of the rainy season in batches of 15 to 25.
• After emerging, the caterpillars start devouring the bark. The caterpillars pupate during the summer for about four weeks and from the pupae adult moths emerge, mate, and lay eggs again.
• Only one caterpillar is seen in a gallery.

Management

• Periodical cleaning of orchard and removal of webs/frassy galleries around affected portion at the time of pruning and destruction of caterpillar using iron spike in hole.
• The cultivars such as Rothak Gola, Laddu Glory, Chuhhara and Desi Alwar are found to be tolerant to bark eating caterpillar. However no cultivars found to be resistant.
• Painting of dimethoate 0.05% on the bark would be effective. Application of kerosene mix contains one litre of kerosene and 100g of soap in 9 litre of water to the holes has been found to be effective against caterpillar.
• Inject the holes with quinalphos at 0.01% or fenvalerate at 0.05% and alternate spray of quinalphos at 2ml per litre water of found to be effective in controlling the caterpillar damage. Cotton swab soaked in petrol or kerosene also can place in the holes and sealed with mud.

Ber weevil

• Ber weevil, Myllocerus dentifer, M. blandus & Amblyrrhinus poricollis are minor pests of ber.

Host Range

• lt is a polyphagous pest but majorly occurring in ber.

Nature of Damage

• The adult beetles feed on leaves of ber.
• Damage can range from notching on the leaf margins to much more extensive feeding along the leaf veins.

Description

• Adults lay their eggs in the soil.

• Larvae are small, creamy white, and legless. They are root feeders.
• Adults can cause severe feeding damage to the foliage.
• Myllocerus dentifer body is blackish in color with brownish spots. M. blandus body is dark brown in color. Amblyrrhinus poricollis body is light brown in color with whitish strips on body.

Termite (Odontotermes obesus)

• Termites or white ants are warmth loving insects and inhabit the entire tropical and subtropical regions of the world except higher altitudes where temperature is too low and the deserts where there is no food. They devour not only the live plant material but also the dead wood.

Host Range

• They are polyphagous and have the widest range of host plants like ber, aonla, date palm, pomegranate, lasora, phalsa etc.

Nature of damage

• Termites attack wheat and barley from the time of sowing onwards and the damage is severe in sandy and sandy-loam soils.
• lt cannot thrive under conditions of bad aeration and poor drainage.
• The damage may vary from 40 - 50%.
• The internal part of plants are eaten away up to 1-2 feet height of stem and filled with earth.
• Termites also appear and cause havoc in orchards that have been raised on virgin lands.
• The damage is more severe in nurseries and young newly planted orchards where the entire seedlings or saplings may dry and die away.

Description

• The termites are heliphobic and either remains underground and feed on roots and then move upwards making the trunks completely hollow or they construct mud galleries on tree trunks.
• Formation of earthen galleries on tree trunks decreases with rise in temperature from March onwards and it again increases from September onwards.
• These different functionaries constitute well-defined castes like the soldier caste, the worker caste, the reproductive caste and the royalty.

• The queen is the largest individual, the size of which at times exceeds five centimetres in length and one centimetre in thickness due to the enlargement of the abdomen which is full of eggs.
• The rest of the colony consists of the king, the functional consort of the queen, three sub-castes of fertile reproductives and two sterile castes of workers and soldiers.
• The sterile castes the workers, which constitute the main labour force of the colony, have undergone reduction in brain and eye development.
• Winged sexual forms appear with the first shower of monsoon.
• The mating takes place either up in the air or on the ground and soon after mating the insects lose their wings, re-enter the soil and start a new colony.
• The Queen lays one egg every 2 - 3 seconds continuously during her entire life span of 7 - 10 years.

Source: Insect pests of Arid Fruit Crops