IPM Stratergies for Guava

  111 ratings Guava Pests A.Pests of National Significance Insect pests Diseases Weeds Grasses Broad leaf ...

 

111 ratings

Guava Pests

1. A.Pests of National Significance
1. Insect pests
2. Diseases
3. Weeds
1. Grasses
2. Broad leaf
3. Sedges
4. Pests of Regional Significance:
1. Insect pests
2. Diseases
3. Weeds
1. Grasses
2. Broad leaf
3. Sedges
4. IPM for Guava

A.Pests of National Significance

Insect pests

1. Fruit fly: Bactrocera correcta (Bezzi) and B. spp (Diptera: Tephritidae)
2. Fruit borer complex:
• Castor capsule borer: Congethes (Dichocrocis) punctiferalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)
• Pomegranate butterfly: Deudorix (Virachola) isocrates Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
• Fruit borer: Rapala varuna Hewitson (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
3. Bark eating caterpillar: Indarbela tetraonis (Moore) (Lepidoptera : Cossidae)

Diseases

• Guava wilt: Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. psidii and F. solani (Mart.) Sacc.
• Fruit rot: Phytophthora nicotianae Dastur, P. nicotianae Breda de Haan var. parasitica, P. citricola Sawada and Rhizopus stolanifer (Ehrenb.) Vuill.
• Stem canker and dry fruit rot: Physalopara psidii Stevens & Pierce and Diplodia netalensis Evans.]
• Dieback and fruit rot: Colletotrichum psidii Curzi./Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz. and Sacc.

Weeds

Grasses

• Bermuda grass: Cynodon dactylon L. Poaceae
• Hairy crabgrass: Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. Poaceae
• Egyptian crowfoot grass: Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd Poaceae
• Buffalo grass: Paspalum conjugatum P. J. Bergius Poaceae
• Cogongrass: Imperata cylindrica (L.) P. Beauv. Poaceae

Broad leaf

• Coat buttons: Tridax procumbens L. Fabaceae
• Beggar-ticks: Bidens pilosa L. Asteraceae
• Silk Leaf: Lagascea mollis Cavanilles Asteraceae
• Canoe weed: Phyllanthus maderaspatensis L. Euphorbiaceae
• Mohanavallee: Loranthus longiflorus Desr. (Loranthaceae) (Semi- parasitic weed)
• Amaranth: Amaranthus viridis L. Amaranthaceae
• False amaranth: Digera arvense Forssk. Amaranthaceae
• Asthma herb: Euphorbia hirta L. Euphorbiaceae
• Milkweed: Euphorbia geniculate L. Euphorbiaceae
• Whitetop Weed: Parthenium hysterophorus L. Asteraceae
• Horse purslane: Trianthema portulacastrum L. Aizoaceae

Sedges

• Purple nut sedge: Cyperus rotundus L. Cypraceae
• Flat sedge: Cyperus iria L. Cypraceae

Pests of Regional Significance:

Insect pests

• Tea mosquito bug: Helopeltis antonii Signoret (Hemiptera: Miridae)
• Mealy bug: Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell), Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae:)
• Coccids: Hemaspidoproctus cinereus Green. (Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
• Guava aphid: Aphis punicae Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Diseases

• Fruit canker: Pestalotia psidii Pat. (Mumbai, Mysore, Thane, Dharwar, Pune, Ponta Vally, Himachal Pradesh and Lucknow)
• Algal leaf and fruit spot: Cephaleuros virescens Kuntze (Mysore, Patna, Lucknow and Sitapur)
• Styler end rot: Phomopsis psidii de Camara (Lucknow and Bangalore)

Weeds

Grasses

• Quackgrass: Agropyron repens (L.) P.Beauv. Poaceae
• Indian goosegrass: Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. Poaceae
• Lovegrass: Eragrostis tanella (L.) P.Beauv. Poaceae
• Johnson grass: Sorghum helepense (L.) Pers. Poaceae

Broad leaf

• Pig weed: Boerhavia hirsuta Willd Nyctaginaceae
• Shaggy Button Weed: Borreria hispida (Linn.) K. Schum. Rubiaceae
• Swine Cress: Cronopus didymus L. Sm. Brassicaceae
• Common Purslane: Portulaca oleracea L. Portulacaceae
• Launaea: Launea nudicaulis (L.) Hook. f. Asteraceae
• Sticky spider-flower: Cleome viscosa L. Capparaceae

Sedges

• Yellow nutsedge: Cyperus esculentus L. Cyperaceae
• Small-floweed umbrella sedge: Cyperus difformis L. Cyperaceae

IPM for Guava

To know the IPM practices for Guava, click here.

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

 

3.05   

 

138 ratings

Guava: Crop Stage-wise IPM

1. Pre planting*
2. Planting*
3. Vegetative stages
4. Flowering and Fruiting
5. Diseases
6. Post-harvest

Management	Activity
Pre planting*
	Common cultural practices: • Timely sowing should be done. • Field sanitation, rogueing • Destroy the alternate host plants • Apply manures and fertilizers as per soil test recommendations
Nutrients	Square system of planting is generally adopted with a spacing of 6m x 6m and pits of 1x1x1m size are dug during summer season and kept open for controlling soil born pests. • Pit should be filled with mixture of top soil and FYM in the ratio of 1:1. • 15-20kg of well rotten FYM + 1.5kg single super phosphate per pit
Weeds	Plough the field before planting to destroy existing weeds in the field. • Summer ploughing is helpful in destroying weed seeds and rhizomes in the soil. • Adopt stale seed bed technique
Pest & Diseases	Cultural control: • Ploughing the field before digging the pits.
Planting*
	Common cultural practices: • Use healthy, certified and weed free seeds.
Nutrients	• Application and thorough mixing of 500g SSP, and 1 kg Neem cake per pit.
Weeds	Remove existing weeds in and around the pits at the time of planting. • Mulching with organic or biodegradable material
Pest & Diseases	Cultural control: • Clean cultivation: Keep basin clean .Soil health: Maintain proper moisture and aeration in soil. Avoid water logging. • Moderate to heavy pruning to remove disease affected, broken, crisscross branches, water sprouts, suckers and opening canopy to improve light penetration. Mechanical control: • Infested/infected young plants should be uprooted, burnt and replaced with healthy saplings
* Apply Trichoderma viride/ harzianum 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 stages
	Common cultural practices: • Destroy crop debris • Avoid water logging • Avoid water stress • Enhance parasitic activity by avoiding chemical spray, when 1-2 larval parasitoids are observed Common mechanical practices: • Use light trap @ 1/acre and operate between 6 pm and 10 pm • Erecting of bird perches @ 20/acre for encouraging predatory birds such as King crow, common mynah etc. Common biological practices: • Conserve natural enemies through ecological engineering • Augmentative release of natural enemies
Nutrients	• Green manuring during rainy season. • Grow leguminous crops or vegetables as intercrops during the first three years of planting, provided irrigation facility is available. • Fertilizers should be applied based on soil test values and recommendation for the agro-ecological regions. • Apply fertilizers after first pre-monsoon shower (June) for rainy season crop and in first week of September for winter season crop. For one year old plants apply 100g nitrogen, 40g phosphorus 100g potash in two splits (June and September) except phosphorus. . . • Increase the dose by 100g nitrogen, 100g potash and 40g phosphorus every year until the plants are 5 years old and there after a dose of 500g nitrogen, 200g phosphorus and 500g potash should be applied yearly. Half of the nitrogen should be given in the form of organic manures.
Weeds	• Green manuring during rainy season. • Grow leguminous crops or vegetables as intercrops during the first three years of planting, provided irrigation facility is available. • Fertilizers should be applied based on soil test values and recommendation for the agro-ecological regions. • Apply fertilizers after first pre-monsoon shower (June) for rainy season crop and in first week of September for winter season crop. For one year old plants apply 100g nitrogen, 40g phosphorus 100g potash in two splits (June and September) except phosphorus. . . • Increase the dose by 100g nitrogen, 100g potash and 40g phosphorus every year until the plants are 5 years old and there after a dose of 500g nitrogen, 200g phosphorus and 500g potash should be applied yearly. Half of the nitrogen should be given in the form of organic manures.
Weeds	• Remove weeds by using tools before flowering. and Timely inter-culture should be done. • Mulching can be done either with black polyethylene sheet or with organic materials like dry leaves, paddy straw, etc. Mulching helps in conserving moisture, controlling weeds and improving the fruit quality. • In the initial years of planting regional recommended intercrops should be grown.
Mealy bugs**	Cultural control: • Collect and destroy the infested plant parts. • Remove other hosts. • Deep ploughing of the field. • Overlapping and overcrowding branches should be pruned Biological control: • Conserve parasitoids such as Aenasius advena, Blepyrus suturalis,Spalgis epius etc., • Release Cryptolaemous montrouzieri beetles @ 10/tree.
Aphid**	Cultural control: • Collect and destroy the infested plant parts • Maintain adequate aeration by proper training and pruning Biological control: • Conserve predators such as ladybird beetles i.e. Scymnus, Chilomenus sexmaculatus, preying mantids, green lacewings, etc., • Release first instar larva of Chrysoperla carnea @ 15 / flowering branch (four times) at 10 days interval from the time of flower initiation.
Flowering and Fruiting
Nutrients	• In the bearing orchards green manure crops like sunnhemp, green gram, cowpea etc., are raised and incorporated into the soil during the monsoon period. • Avoid fertilizer application during flowering time. • For bearing trees apply 500g nitrogen, 200g phosphorus and 500g potash every year. 600 g N, 300g P and 400 g K • If required, apply micronutrients in case any deficiency is observed. Spraying of 4g Zinc Sulphate + 2g Boric acid per liter of water and urea 2% during fruit develop..
Weeds	• Remove weeds from basins around the trees by hand weeding before manure and fertilizer application followed by mulching with organic materials. • Control weeds between rows by shallow cultivation and grow the regional recommended intercrop/cover crop. • Inter row space should kept weed free by light cultivation and using green manuring or inter cropping with leguminous crops.
Fruit fly	Cultural control: • Collect and destroy fallen and infested fruits. • Tillage of tree basin helps in checking the pest population as the pupae and hibernating larvae are destroyed by natural enemies. Biological control: • Conserve parasitoids such as Opius compensates, Spalangia philippinensis, Diachasmimorpha kraussi etc.,
Bark- eating caterpillar	Cultural control: • Detect early infestation by periodic monitoring. • Keep the orchard clean and healthy to prevent the infestation.. • Remove and destroy alternate host, silk cotton, other hosts and severely affected branches of the tree, Mechanical control: • Scraping the loose bark to prevent oviposition by adult beetles. • Hook out the caterpillar from the bore hole and kill them. • Insert cotton plug soaked in kerosene or petrol into the holes and close them with mud.
Castor capsule borer	Cultural control: • Detect early infestation by periodic monitoring. • Keeping basin clean. • Maintain adequate aeration by proper training and pruning • Pomegranate should not be cultivated close to guava as this is the most preferred host of this pest. • Collect and destroy the infested fruits regularly. Mechanical control: • Prune the affected parts of the plant and destroy. • Use light trap @ 1/acre and operate between 6 pm and 10 pm Biological control: • Conserve parasitoids such as Trichogramma chilonis (egg), Tetrastichus spp. (egg), Telenomus spp. (egg), Chelonus blackburni (egg-larval), Carcelia spp. (larval-pupal), Campoletis chlorideae (larval), Goniophthalmus halli (larval), Bracon spp. (larval) etc. • Conserve predators such as Chrysoperlazastrowii sellimi, coccinellids, King crow, common mynah, wasp, dragonfly, spider, robber fly, reduviid bug, preying mantid, fire ants, big eyed bugs (Geocoris sp), pentatomid bug (Eocanthecona furcellata), earwigs, ground beetles, rove beetles etc.
Pomegranate / Guava butterfly	Cultural control: • Cover fruits with paper bags. • Remove and destroy the affected fruits. Pomegranate should not be cultivated close to guava as this is the most preferred host of this pest Collect and destroy the infested fruits regularly. Mechanical control: • Remove weeds of compositae family • Prune the affected parts of the plant and destroy them. • Detect early infestation by periodic monitoring Install light trap @ 1/ acre to monitor and mechanical collection of insects Biological control: • Same as castor capsule borer
Tea mosquito bug**	Cultural methods: • Maintain proper sunlight in the plant canopy by adequate pruning. • Collect and destroy the damaged plant parts. • Do not interplant guava with crops that are host for Helopeltis bugs, such as cotton, tea, sweet potato, cashew and mango. Biological control: • Conserve predators such as Mallada sp., Oxyopes sp., Reduviid bug.
Diseases
Guava wilt	Cultural control: • Follow clean cultivation and strict sanitation in orchard • Wilted trees should be uprooted, burnt and trench should be dug around the tree trunk. • Roots of plants should not be damaged while transplanting. • Maintain proper tree vigour by timely and adequately manuring, inter-culture and irrigation enable them to withstand infection. • The pits may be treated with formalin and kept covered for about 3 days and transplanting should be done after two weeks. • Apply organic manures, oil cakes and lime Use rootstocks resistant to wilt i.e. Cross of Psidium molle x P. guajava. • Eco-friendly approach of guava wilt control is suggested where biological control (Trichoderma spp., Aspergillus niger AN27), soil amendment (lime, neem cakes, gypsum) and intercropping (marigold, turmeric) are effective.
Fruit rot/ fruit canker**/ algal leaf** and fruit spot**	Cultural control: • Prune and destroy the dead twigs and fruits. • Plant spacing and fertilizer régimes should be managed to avoid unnecessarily dense plant canopy. • Prune old and non-productive branch which may serve as potential source of infection • For managing fruit rot disease good field sanitation (maintain field free of infected dry or semi-dry twigs and mummified fruits of previous harvest which may serve as primary inoculum. • Algal leaf spot can be reduced by maintaining tree vigour with cultural techniques such as proper fertilization and irrigation, proper pruning to enhance air circulation within the canopy and sunlight penetration, managing weeds and wider tree spacing. • Managing insect, mite and other foliar diseases increases tree vigour and lessens susceptibility to algal disease Chemical control: • Apply Zineb 75% WP @600 -800 g in 300-400 l of water/ acre or Mancozeb 75% WP 20g in 10 l of water/tree.
Dieback/ anthracnose/ Stem canker and dry fruit rot	Cultural control: • Maintain orchard hygienic • Monitor disease and use of micro irrigation systems • Follow clean cultivation and strict sanitation in orchard • Use disease free planting material • Implement a good weed control to reduce humidity • Adhere to recommended plant density to reduce competition for sunlight, water and nutrient
Post-harvest
Pest & diseases	Mechanical control: • Keeping of good quality of fruits and bagging fruits, Remove and destroy all the affected fruits to reduce, the incidence of Anar butterfly. Cover the fruit with polythene bags when the fruits are up to 5 cm.
Note: The pesticide dosages and spray fluid volumes are based on high volume spray **Pest of regional significance

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

 

3.09   

 

147 ratings and

Guava: Diseases and symptoms

1. Guava wilt
2. Fruit rot
3. Dieback and Anthracnose (fruit rot)
4. Stem canker and dry fruit rot. Physalopara psidii Stevens &Pierce and Diplodia netalensis Evans
5. Fruit canker (Pestalotia psidii Pat.)
6. Algal leaf and fruit spot (Cephaleuros virescens Kuntze)
7. Styler end rot (Phomopsis psidii de Camara)
8. IPM for Guava

Guava wilt

Disease symptoms:

• First symptoms start with the onset of monsoon. Appearance of light yellow foliage with loss of turgidity and epinasty.
• Plants, at a later stage, show unthriftyness. Subsequently, premature shedding and defoliation.
• Some of the twigs become bare and fail to bring forth new leaves or flowers and eventually dry up. Fruits of all the affected branches remain underdeveloped, hard and stony. Later, the entire plant is defoliated and eventually dies.
• The roots also show rotting at the basal region and the bark is easily detachable from the cortex. Light brown discoloration is also noticed in vascular tissues.
• The pathogen attacks young as well as old fruit bearing trees but older trees are more prone to the disease.

Survival and spread:

• Through movement of plants containing sick soil in virgin areas.
• Short distance spread is by water.
• Root injury predisposes wilt disease.

Favourable conditions:

• High rainfall during August/ September.
• Stagnation of water in guava field for long duration.
• Maximum and minimum temperature ranges 23-32^oC with 76% RH are conducive.
• Lack of timely application of suitable control measures.

Fruit rot

Disease symptoms:

• The symptom starts at calyx disc of the fruit during rainy season.
• Affected area is covered with whitish cotton like growth which develops very fast as the fruit matures and pathogen is able to cover almost the entire surface within a period of 3-4 days during humid weather.
• Under high relative humidity, the fruits near the soil level covered with dense foliage are most severely affected. The fallen fruits are badly affected.
• The skin of the fruit below the whitish cottony growth becomes a little soft, turns light brown to dark

Survival and spread:

• Rain and the wind are conducive for spread.
• The pathogen produces a great number of sporangia and spores on the surface of diseased tissues principally when the temperature is near 25°C and this is an important sources of inoculum in the development of epidemics.
• Spores spread from the infected plant material or soil by rain splashes.

Favourable conditions:

• Cool, wet environmental conditions with high soil moisture favour disease development.
• High humidity, temperature from 28-32^oC (25 ^oC), poorly drained soils and injuries are favourable for initiation of disease.
• Close plantation.

Dieback and Anthracnose (fruit rot)

Disease symptoms:

• Die back phase: The plant begins to die backwards form the top of a branch.
• Young shoots, leaves and fruits are readily attached, while they are still tender. The greenish colour of the growing tip is changed to dark brown and later to black necrotic areas extending backwards.
• The fungus develops from the infected twigs and then petiole and young leaves which may drop down or fall leaving the dried twigs without leaves.
• Fruit and leaf infection phase: Fruit and leaf infection is generally seen during rainy season crop. Pin-head spots are first seen on unripe fruits, which gradually enlarge.
• Spots are dark brown in colour, sunken, circular and have minute black stromata in the center of the lesion, which produce creamy spore masses in moist weather.
• Several spots coalesce to form bigger lesions .
• The infected area on unripe fruits become corky and hardy, and often develops cracks in case of severe infection.
• Unopened buds and flowers are also affected which cause their shedding.
• On leaves, the fungus causes necrotic lesions usually ashy grey and bear fruiting bodies at the tip or on the margin

Survival and spread:

• Infection spreads by wind borne spores develop on dead leaves, twigs and mummified fruits in the orchard.
• Dense canopy is congenial for germination of spores due to high moisture condition.
• Movement of planting material through infected foliage.
• Transportation of fruits from high disease prone area.

Favourable conditions:

• Closer planting without canopy management
• Dew or rains encourages spore production and its dispersal around canopy.
• Temperature between 10 to 35^oC with best 24 to 28^oC.

Stem canker and dry fruit rot. Physalopara psidii Stevens &Pierce and Diplodia netalensis Evans

Disease symptoms:

• Physalopara psidii causes stem canker and the imperfect stage Diplodia netalensis dry fruit rot.
• Pathogen attack main branches and stem on which it causes cracking of lesion.
• Affected branches wilt as the stem tissues are killed. Fungal perithesia small brown to black structures may develop on the infected stem.
• On fruit disease symptoms appears as light brown spots generally at the stalk or calyx end .
• With four days the entire fruit become dark brown to black and mummified.
• Twing bearing infected fruits show die back.

Survival and spread:

• Pathogen survives beneath the bark which becomes active during favorable condition.
• It may spread from plant to plant through air.

Favourable conditions:

• Rainy season is the favorable for disease development.

Fruit canker (Pestalotia psidii Pat.)

Disease symptoms:

• Symptoms occur generally on green fruits and rarely on leaves.
• Initially minute, brown or rust coloured, unbroken, circular, necrotic areas appears on fruits, which in advanced stage of infection; tears open the epidermis in a circinate manner.
• The margin of lesion is elevated and a depressed area is noticeable inside. The crater like appearance is more noticeable on fruits than on leaves. In older cankers, white myceliums consisting of numerous spores are noticeable.
• In severe cases, raised, cankerous spots develop in great numbers and the fruits break open to expose seeds
• Infected fruits remain underdeveloped, become hard, malformed and mummified and drop. Sometimes, small rusty brown angular spots appear on the leaves.

Survival and spread:

• The pathogen is primily a wound parasite and avoid injury to fruits.

Favourable conditions:

• Germination of spores is maximum at 30^o C & do not germinate below 15^oC or above 40^oC with RH above 96%.

Algal leaf and fruit spot (Cephaleuros virescens Kuntze)

Disease symptoms:

• Alga infects immature guava leaves during early spring flush.
• Minute, shallow brown velvety lesions appear on leaves specialy on leaf tips, margins or areas near the mid vein and as the disease progresses, the lesions enlarge to 2-3 mm in diameter.
• On leaves the spots may vary form specks to big patches which may be crowded or scattered.
• On immature fruits the lesions are nearly black. As fruits enlarge, lesions get sunken and get cracked frequently on older blemishes as a result of enlargement of fruits, lesions are usually smaller than leaf spots. They are darkish green to brown or black to colour

Survival and spread:

• Pathogen survives on infected plant debris.
• Disease is air borne and spreads by air and rain splashes.

Favourable conditions:

• Wet, humid conditions promote spread of the disease; zoospores spread by splashing water.

Styler end rot (Phomopsis psidii de Camara)

Disease symptoms:

• The visible disease symptom appears as discoloration in the region lying just below and adjoining the persistent calyx. Such area gradually increases in size and turn dark brown.
• Later the affected area becomes soft. Along with the discoloration of epicarp, the mesocarp tissue also shows discoloration and the diseased area is marked by being pulpy and light brown in colour in contrast to the bright white colour of the healthy area of the mesocarp

Survival and spread:

• Pathogen survives in infected fruits and plant debris.
• Pathogen spread through wind.

Favourable conditions:

• Temperature 10 to 35 ^oC (25 ^oC optimum ) is favourable for disease development.

IPM for Guava

To know the IPM practices for Guava, click here.

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

 

3.01   

 

186 ratings

Guava: Insect and Pest Management

1. Fruit fly
2. Guava fruit borers/ pomegranate butterfly
3. Castor capsule borer
4. Bark eating caterpillar
5. Tea mosquito bug
6. Mealy bug
7. Aphid
8. Whitefly
9. IPM for Guava

Fruit fly

Biology:

• Egg: Under optimum conditions, a female can lay more than 3,000 eggs during her lifetime, but under field conditions from 1,200 to 1,500 eggs per female is considered to be the usual production. Development from egg to adult under summer conditions requires about 16 days.
• Larva: The mature larva emerges from the fruit, drops to the ground, and forms a tan to dark brown puparium.
• Pupa: Pupation occurs in the soil. About nine days are required for attainment of sexual maturity after the adult fly emerges.
• Adult: Brown or dark brown with hyaline wings and yellow legs.

Damage symptoms:

• Adults and maggots attack semi – ripe fruits
• Oviposition punctures on fruits
• Maggots destroy and convert pulp into a bad smelling
• Discoloured semi liquid mass

Natural enemies of fruit fly: Parasitoids : Opius compensates, Spalangia philippinensis, and Diachasmimorpha krauss.

Guava fruit borers/ pomegranate butterfly

Biology:

• Eggs: Eggs are laid singly on tender leaves, stalks and flower buds.
• Larvae - Dark brown, short and stout, covered with short hairs, larval period lasts for 18-47 days.
• Pupa: Development occurs either inside the damaged fruits or on the stalk holding it. Pupal period lasts for 7-34 days. Total life cycle is completed in 1 to 2 months.
• Adult - bluish brown butterfly, Female – V shaped patch on forewing

Damage symptoms:

• Caterpillar/larva bores into young fruits.
• Feeds on internal contents (pulp and seeds) making the fruit hollow from inside.
• Fruit rotting and dropping

Natural enemies of fruit borers: Parasitoids: Trichogramma chilonis, Tetrastichus spp., Telenomus spp., Chelonus blackburni, Carcelia spp. Campoletis chlorideae, Bracon spp. Predators: Chrysoperla, Rove beetles, Spiders, Coccinellids, Robber fly, Dragonfly, Reduviid bug, Praying mantis, Fire ants, Big eyed bugs, Pentatomid bug, Earwigs, Ground beetles, common mynah and King crow.

Castor capsule borer

Biology:

• Egg: Pink colored eggs laid singly on flower buds, or young capsules.
• Larva: Pale reddish brown with black blotches and tubercles on body.
• Pupal: Pupates on plants in stem or capsule.
• Adult: Yellow colored moth with black dots.

Damage symptoms:

• Stem dries up as larva bores in to it and them damages capsules.
• Caterpillar bores into young fruits but they may also bore buds and tender shoots.
• Feeds on internal contents (pulp and seeds)
• Infected fruits dry up and fall off without ripening
• The affected fruits are generally deformed at the point of entry of larvae.
• Larvae faeces may be seen exuding out of the borer hole. Such fruits weaken, rot and drop down.

Natural enemies of castor capsule borer: Parasitoids and predators:Same as mentioned in pomegranate butterfly.

Bark eating caterpillar

Biology:

• Eggs: Eggs are laid under loose bark or in cracks and crevices in clusters of 15-25 from April to June. Eggs hatch in 8-11 days. Eggs are oval in shape and reddish in colour.
• Larval: Caterpillars are pinkish white with brown spots and are about 40mm long. Larval duration is of 8-10 months.
• Pupal: Pupae are chestnut-brown in colour and 22 to 28 mm long, Pupal period is 21- 41 days. Total life cycle lasts 4-5 months in south India and more than a year in north India. One generation per year.
• Adult: Moths are white with pairs of small black dots on thorax, numerous small black spots and streaks on fore wings and few black spots on posterior edges of hind wings.

Damage symptoms:

• The infestation of the pest may be identified by the presence of irregular tunnels and patches covered with silken web consisting of excreta and chewed up wood particles on the shoots, branches, stem and main trunk.
• Holes on the trunk, Wood dust and faecal matter hanging in the form of a web around the affected portion.
• Severe damage can result in the death of attacked stem. Blackish larva can be observed underneath the fresh webbing.
• Shelter holes may also be seen particularly at the joints of shoots and branches.
• The young shoots dry and die away giving sickly look to the plant

Tea mosquito bug

Biology:

• Eggs: Eggs are elongate and slightly curved with a pair of filaments, egg period 7-8 days.
• Nymph: Nymphal period 14-16 days. Life cycle completed in 22-25 days.
• Adult: Reddish brown bug with black head, red thorax, black and white abdomen, and a knob like process on mid-dorsal thorax.

Damage symptoms:

• Nymphs and adults make punctures on petiole, tender shoots and fruits
• Brownish – black necrotic patches develop on the foliage
• Elongate streaks and patches develop on shoots
• Corky scab formation on fruits.

Natural enemies of tea mosquito bug: Predators: Reduviid bug, Oxyopes sp. and Green lacewing.

Mealy bug

Biology:

• Egg: The egg period was 28-32days. Female and male adults live for 23 to 28 days, respectively. Pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition periods is 6-7, 8.-9and 1-2 days, respectively. The total life span of female and male 46 -49nd 23 -29 days. The reproduction took place both sexually as well as parthenogenetically and female laid an average of 155 eggs during its life period.
• Nymph: Yellow to pale white in colour. Three to four nymphal instars and that the total nymphal period is 21 to 29 days.
• Adult: Females apterous, long, slender covered with white waxy secretions, The life-span of the adult female is 12-31days

Symptoms of Damage:

• The tiny small bugs usually suck sap from twigs, leaves and flowers. Infested fruits will have uneven shapes, poor quality, and are susceptible to secondary infections by pathogens.

Favourable condition:

• The maximum temperature had significant positive correlation with the build-up of population of mealy bugs while high humidity had significant negative correlation. The other meteorological parameters, i.e. minimum temperature, relative morning humidity and rain, had no significant influence on the incidence of the pests.
• A major pest of several vegetables, ornamental plants, tropical orchard trees and was observed feeding on 76 species of plants belonging to 33 families.

Natural enemies of mealy bug: Predators: Chrysoperla carnea, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, and Spalgis epius Parasitoids: Aenasius advena.

Aphid

Biology:

• Eggs: Eggs are very small white to dull white in cloured layed on Both winged and wingless forms breed parthenogenetically.
• Nymph: The nymphal period lasts for 7-9 days.
• Adult: Adults live for 2-3 weeks and produce 8-22 nymphs per day. Entire life cycle takes 22-25 days. It has 12-14 generations per year.

Damage symptoms:

• Nymphs and adults suck the sap from leaves, shoots and fruits
• Yellowing of leaves
• Wilting of terminal shoots

Favourable conditions:

• Damage is severe because the green citrus aphid colonizes young shoots, buds, grafts and young plants, the development of which is inhibited. Spring-time attacks are the most deleterious.

Natural enemies of mealy bug: Predators: Scymnus, Chilomenes sexmaculatus, Chrysoperla carnea, Predatory mantids, parasitic wasps, ladybird beetle, predatory mite.

Whitefly

Biology:

• Egg: The female white flies lay eggs singly on the underside of the leaves. Eggs are smooth, sub elliptical, stalked at broader basal end. Its colour is light yellow, when freshly laid, turn dark brown later on. The eggs hatch in 5-17 days.
• Stalked Nymph: It is louse like, sluggish creature having pale-yellow body. The nymphal stage lasts 14 to 81 days.
• Pupa: Convex in shape and possesses deep yellow patches on the abdomen.
• Adult: In 2-8 days, the pupae change into white flies.Adult fly is small winged insect having light yellow body of 1.0-1.5mm length dusted with a white waxy powder. Wings are pure white and have prominent long legs. The life cycle is completed in 14-122 days. Eleven generations of this pest are completed in a year.

Favorable conditions: The temperature of 28-36⁰ C and 62-92% relative humidity and scanty rainfall during August to January are quite favorable for this pest.

Damage symptoms:

• Chlorotic spots
• Yellowing
• Downward curling and drying of leaves.
• Vector of potato leaf curl disease

IPM for Guava

To know the IPM practices for Guava, click here.

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

 

3.05   

 

134 ratings

Meloidogyne enterolobii-an invasive plant parasitic nematode

1. Root knot nematodes (Meloidigyne spp.)
2. Impact on guava cultivation
1. Symptoms
2. Spread and management
3. References

Plant parasitic nematodes are obligate parasites feeding on roots of crop plants. Globally plant parasitic nematodes accounts for an annual yield loss of 173 billion dollars (Elling, 2013). Among the plant parasitic nematodes, Meloidogyne spp. is one of the most damaging nematode genera which is widely distributed and infecting important agricultural and horticultural crops. Their polyphagus nature and their ability to infect a variety of important crops makes them one of the notorious crop pests. Globally they are responsible for billions of yield loss every year. Their problem is much more severe in crops like capsicum, tomato, gerbera etc. which are grown under protected condition for commercial purpose leading to complete closure of cultivation.

Root knot nematodes (Meloidigyne spp.)

There are more than 100 reported species of Meloidogyne globally. Among them, M. incognita, M.javanica, M. arenaria, and M.hapla are considered as major root knot nematode species infecting most of the cultivated crops. The other root knot nematode species like M.graminicola, M.exigua, M.chitwoodi, M.fallax, M.naasi, M.minor, M.enterolobii etc. are considered as minor root knot nematode species with restricted distribution.

Nowadays, these minor root knot nematode species are spreading quickly and emerging as major problems in crop production. Among these minor root knot nematodes, M.enterolobii is now spreading quickly to different cultivated crops and new areas where it was not existing earlier. Like most of the other root knot nematodes, M.enterolobii is also polyphagus and can infect vegetable crops like tomato, okra, capsicum, sweet potato, ornamentals and fruit crops like guava, melon, fig etc.. It was first reported on a perennial, Pacara earpod tree from Hainan island, China (Baojun and Eisenback, 1983). Later on, this species has been recorded from Africa (Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa, Togo), Asia (China, Vietnam), North America (USA, state of Florida) and Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (Cuba, Guatemala, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago) and South America (Brazil, Venezuela)(EPPO 2016). This nematode was placed in EPPO A2 list by considering the risk of its introduction and dissemination in the European region (Freitas et al., 2017).

Impact on guava cultivation

M.enterolobii is posing a serious threat to guava (Psidium guajava) cultivation throughout the world. More recently it was reported from India on guava orchards of Tamil nadu where trees were declining showing yellowing and stunted growth (Poornima, et al., 2016). It was also identified from guava orchards of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India. This nematode causes severe root galling there by reducing the nutrient uptake ability of the plant.

Symptoms

Symptoms induced by this nematode include yellowing and stunting, reduced fruit size, drying of branches, shredding of leaves and reduced yields. Severe infestation by this nematode leads to heavy root galling which succumbs the tree to decline and death. Synergistic effect will be seen when this nematode is associated with other fungal pathogens like Fusarium solani, Verticillium spp., Pythium spp and can causes death of guava trees within few months (Gomes et al., 2010).

Spread and management

This nematode is spreading to new areas through infected guava saplings. Management of this nematode is a challenge because of its polyphagus nature and ability to survive on weed hosts. Even the Mi gene which confers natural resistance to root knot nematodes proved ineffective to M. enterolobii.

Some of management options to prevent nematode entry into new orchards include

• Use of clean and nematode free planting material. The saplings should be tested for nematode infection before they are used for planting. This can avoid the entry of nematode to new areas
• Removal of infected trees from the orchards
• Avoiding movement of infected soil to uninfected areas
• Use of resistant guava root stocks
• Application of farm yard manure mixed with Trichoderma viride and T. harzianum
• Pre planting application of carbofuran @ 60g/tree avoid development of nematode populations in the soil.

Authors

• Madhu Kiran Tumma, PBRD Asia-Pacific Millet India, Pioneer Hibrid Pvt Ltd., Hyderabad
• Gayatri Bandaru, ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad
• Deepika Cheruku, ICAR- Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad
• K S V Poorna Chandrika, ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad

References

1. Freitas V M & Joelma G. P. Silva & Cesar B. Gomes & José M. C. Castro & Valdir R. Correa & Regina M. D. G. Carneiro (2017).  Host status of selected cultivated fruit crops to Meloidogyne enterolobii. Eur J Plant Pathol. 148:307–319. DOI 10.1007/s10658-016-1090-8
2. K. Poornima, P. Suresh, P. Kalaiarasan, S. Subramanian and K. Ramaraju (2016). Root Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne enterolobii in Guava (Psidium guajava L.) A New Record from India. Madras Agric. J. 103 (10-12): 359-365.
3. EPPO (2016). Meloidogyne enterolobii M 7/103 (2). EPPO Bulletin 46 (2):190–201
4. Baojun Yang and J. D. Eisenback (1983). Meloidogyne enterolobii n. sp. (Meloidogynidae), A Root-knot nematode parasitizing Pacara Earpod tree in China. Journal of Nematology 15(3):381-391.
5. Elling A A (2013). Major Emerging Problems with Minor Meloidogyne Species. Phytopathology Review 103 (11):1092-1102
6. Gomes, V.M., Souza, R.M., Mussi-Dias, V., Silveira, S.F. and Dolinski, C. (2010). Guava decline: a complex disease involving Meloidogyne mayaguensis and Fusarium solani. J. Phytopathology 158:1-6.

 

3.18   

 

38 ratings and

Nutritional deficiencies of Guava

1. Nitrogen
2. Phosphorus
3. Potassium
4. Calcium
5. Magnesium
6. Sulphur
7. Boron
8. IPM for Guava

Nitrogen

Stunted growth. Pale green to light yellow colour (chlorosis) appearing first on older leaves, usually starting at the tips. Depending on the severity of deficiency, the choruses could result in the death and / or dropping of the older leaves.

Correction Measure: Foliar spray of Urea @ 1-2 % at fortnightly intervals.

Phosphorus

Slow, weak and stunted growth with dark to blue-green coloration to appear on older leaves of some plants. Under severe deficiency, purpling in leaves and stems may appear. Delayed maturity and poor seed and fruit development.

Correction Measure: Foliar spray of DAP 2% at fortnightly interval.

Potassium

Chlorosis along the edges of leaves (leaf margin scorching) occurs first in older leaves. Plants lacking K will have slow and stunted growth. Stems are weak. The size of seeds and fruits and the quantity of their production is reduced.

Correction Measure: Foliar spray of K₂SO₄ @ 2% at fortnightly interval

Calcium

Symptoms first appear on the younger leaves and leaf tips. The growing tips of roots and leaves turn brown and die. Newly emerging leaves may stick together at the margins, which causes tearing as the leaves expand and unfurl. Younger leaves may be cupped and crinkled, with the terminal bud deteriorating.

Correction Measure: Soil application of gypsum @ 100 kg acre.

Magnesium

The deficiency symptom of interveinal chlorosis first appears in older leaves. Leaf tissue between the veins may be yellowish, bronze or reddish, while the leaf veins remain green. In severe cases, symptoms may appear on younger leaves and cause premature leaf drop. Symptoms occur most frequently in acid soils and soils receiving high amounts of K fertilizer or Ca.

Correction Measure: Foliar spray of MgSO₄ @ 2% at fortnightly interval.

Sulphur

Younger leaves are chlorotic with evenly, lightly colored veins. Growth rate is retarded and maturity is delayed. Plant stems are stiff, thin and woody. Symptoms may be similar to N deficiency and are most often found in sandy soils that are low in organic matter and receive moderate to heavy rainfall.

Correction Measure: Soil application of gypsum @ 100 kg acre.

Boron

Stunted growth, first showing symptoms on the growing point and younger leaves. The leaves tend to be thickened and may curl and become brittle.

Correction Measure: Foliar spray of Borax @ 0.5% at fortnightly interval.

IPM for Guava

To know the IPM practices for Guava, click here.

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

 

3.04   

 

154 ratings and