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Pests of Mango

                                                               Pests of Mango


There are number of insect pests of this fruit and over 175 species of insect have been reported damaging mango tree but the most abundant and destructive at the flowering stage are the mango hoppers. Also mango mealy bug in North India, stem borer, fruit fly, mango nut weevil and caterpillar pests plat a major role in bringing down the yield. It is almost necessary to control these pests otherwise there is a heavy fruit drop and the trees may remain without fruit.


Major Pests

1. Mango Hoppers
2. Stemborer
3. Fruitfly
4. Mango Nut Weevil
5. Mango Mealy Bug
6. Bark Eating Caterpillar
7. Flower Gall Midge
8. Mango Leaf Webber
9. Shoot Borer
10. Leaf Caterpillar
11. Flower Webber




1. Mango hoppers: Idioscopus niveosparus, I. clypealis, Amritodus atkinsoni (Cicadellidae : Hemiptera) 

Distribution and status:
India, Indonesia, Formosa, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Srilanka, Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Major pest prevalent in the flowering season and devastating in all mango growing areas.

Host range: Mango

Damage symptoms: Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from tender shoots and inflorescence resulting in withering and shedding of flower buds and also wilting and drying of shoots and leaves.
  • The flower stalks and leaves in infested trees become sticky due to the deposition of honey-dew secreted by the hoppers that encourages the growth of black sooty mould on foliage and other parts.
  • The hoppers take shelter in cracks and crevices on the bark during non-flowering season.

Bionomics: Eggs are laid in single into the tissues of the young leaves, shoots, flower stalk and unopened flowers. Incubation period: 4-7 days. Nymphal period: 8-13 days, 5 instars.  Life cycle completed in 2-3 weeks.


I. niveosparsus
I. clypealis
A. atkinsoni
Three spots on scutellum and white band across the wing
Two spots on scutellum and dark spot on the vertex
Two spots on scutellum

IPM
Avoid close planting, as the incidence very severe in overcrowded orchards
  • Orchards must be kept clean by ploughing and removal of weeds
  • Pruning of dense canopy to facilitate aeration and sunlight
  • Avoid excess use of nitrogenous fertilizers
  • Spray  dimethoate 30 EC or moncrotophos 36 SL 2.5-3.3 L , methyldemeton 25 EC or  malathion 50 EC 1.5 -2.0 L in 1500 – 2000 L of water per ha or  acephate 75 SP @ 1 g/L, phosalone 35 EC @1.5 ml/L, or new molecules like buprofezin 25 SC 1-2ml/L of water or imidacloprid 17.8 SL 2-4ml/tree or  lambda cyhalothrin 5 EC 0.5-1.0ml/L of water at 10 -15 L of water per tree
  • Neem oil 5 ml/lit of water can be mixed with any insecticide for spray
  • Spray 3 per cent neem oil or neem seed kernel powder extract 5 per cent.






2. Stemborer: Batocera rufomaculata  (Cerambycidae : Coleoptera)

Distribution and Status: India, Bangladesh 

Host range : Mango, rubber, jack-fruit, fig, papaya, apple, eucalyptus and mulberry, morings and silk cotton.

Damage symptoms



The grubs feed by tunneling the bark of branches and main stem. Shedding of leaves and drying of terminal shoots takes place in early stage of attack while damage to main stem causes tree death.

Bionomics : Eggs laid singly on the bark or cracks and crevices on the tree trunk or branches. Incubation period: 1-2 weeks. Grubs yellow, grub period 6 months, and pupal period is 19-36 days.  Adults grey with two pink dots and lateral spine on the thorax with a longevity of 6 months.

Management
    • Grow tolerant mango varieties viz., Neelam, Humayudin
    • Remove and destroy dead and severely affected branches of the tree
    • Avoid injury at the base of trunk while pruning
    • Remove alternative hosts like moringa, silk cotton in the near vicinity.
    • During off-season, apply absorbent cotton soaked in 10 ml monocrotophos 36 SL per tree  by padding without unnecessarily injuring the trunk.
    • Use a needle or long wire to pull out the grubs from the bore holes.  The bore holes may be filled with  DDVP @ 5 ml or monocrotophos 36 WSC 10 to 20 ml or one celphos tablet (3 g aluminum phosphide) or apply carbofuran 3G 5 g per hole and plug with clay + copper oxychloride paste.
    • Swab Coal tar + Kerosene @ 1:2 or Carbaryl 50 WP 20 g / L (basal portion of the trunk - 3 feet height) after scraping the loose bark to prevent oviposition by adult beetles.




3. Fruit fly: Bactrocera dorsalis (Tephritidae: Diptera)

Distribution and Status : India, Pakistan, South-East Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Formosa, Philippines, Australia, China, Hawaii Islands, China and Taiwan.

Host range : Mango, guava, peach, apricot, cherry, pear, ber, citrus, banana, papaya, avocado, passion fruit, coffee, melons, jack fruit, strawberry.

Damage symptoms   



The maggots destroy and convert the pulp into bad smelling, discoloured semi liquid mass unfit for human consumption. Infestation results in fruit drop and liquid oozes out from the fruit upon pressing.

Bionomics : The adult fly is brown or drak brown with hyaline wings and yellow legs. Adult lays up to 200 eggs in a month in clusters of 2-15 just beneath the skin of the ripening fruits. The egg period is 22-23 days. The maggot feeds on pulp and become full grown in about 7 days. It pupates 3-7 inches below the soil.

Management
    • Row interspaces may be ploughed to expose and kill the soil borne puparia.
    • The infested and fallen fruits should be carefully disposed of.
    • Apply a bait-spray of malathion 50 EC @ 2 ml/ L with molasses or jaggery (10 g/L) before ripening.
    • 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.