Crop Protection :: Custard Apple         
         
       
        
          
            
                
              
                
               
               Fruit borer, Heterographis bengalella 
              
                
                  | Symptoms of damage | 
                 
                
                  
                    
                    - Caterpillar bore into the fruits and make tunnel inside
 
                    - Feed on the internal content of the fruits
 
                    - Affected fruits fall to ground
 
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                  | Identification of pest | 
                 
                
                  
                    
                    - Black coloured caterpillar
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                  | Management | 
                 
                
                  
                    
                    - Collect and destroy the damaged fruits
 
                    - Spray endosulfan 0.07% or malathion 0.1% two times once at flower formation and second at fruit set
 
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               Fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata 
              
                
                  | Symptoms of damage | 
                 
                
                  
                    - Maggot bore into the semi ripened fruits
 
                    - Feed on the inside fruits
 
                    - Affected fruits – shriveled, malformed, rot and fall off
 
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                  | Identification of pest | 
                 
                
                  
                    
                        - Larva - Yellowish apodous maggots.
 
                          - Adult - Light brown with transparent wing
 
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                      | Larva | 
                      Adult | 
                     
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                  | Management | 
                 
                
                  
                    
                    - Collect fallen infested fruits and dispose them by dumping in a pit and covering with soil.
 
                    - Provide summer ploughing to expose the pupa
 
                    - Immersion of fruits in hot water (45 to 470 C) for 60 minutes to kill eggs and maggots
 
                    - Monitor the activity of flies with methyl eugenol sex lure traps.
 
                    - Use bait spray combing any one of the insecticides and molasses or jaggery 10 g/l,
                      
                        - fenthion 100EC 1ml/l,
 
                        - malathion 50EC 2 ml/l,
 
                        - dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/l,
 
                        - carbaryl 50 WP 4 g/l.
 
                       
                     
                   
                    two rounds at 2 weeks interval before ripening of fruits. 
                    
                      - Prepare bait with methyl eugenol 1% solution mixed with malathion 0.1%.
 
                      - Take 10 ml of this mixture per trap and keep them in 25 different places in one hectare.
 
                      - Spray malathion 50 EC at 0.1% or fenthion 100 EC at 1ml/lit
 
                      - Field release of natural enemies Opius compensates and Spalangia philippines
 
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               Tailed mealy bug, Ferrisa virgata  
               
              
                
                  | Symptoms of damage | 
                 
                
                  
                    
                    - Adults and crawlers – setting on leaves, young shoots and fruit (between segments)
 
                    - Yellowing of leaves
 
                    - Reduction of fruit size and do not fetch premium price in the market
 
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                  | Identification of pest | 
                 
                
                  
                    - Nymph: Yellowish to pale white.
 
                    - Adult: Females apterous, long, slender covered with white waxy secretions
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                      | Adult - mealy bug | 
                       
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                  | Management | 
                 
                
                  
                    
                    - Collect and destroy the mealy bug infested leaves, shoots and fruits
 
                    - Spray dichlorvos 0.05%, two times at new flush and shoot formation and second at fruit set.
 
                    - Release Cryptolaemous montrouzieri beetles @ 10/tree.
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