Symptoms of damage

• Infected plants develop light green or chlorotic leaves which have mosaic patterns .
• Most infected plants do not bear flowers.

Identification of the pest

• Eggs: Milky white eggs are found on vegetative terminals.
• Adult: The mites are difficult to see with the naked eye.They are 0.2 mm long, light pink, spindle shaped, and are normally found feeding on the underside of leaf lets. Many nymphs are found on young folded leaflets. Plant - to-plant infestation occurs by the wind dispersal of infective mites.

Management

• Use resistant pigeonpea varieties.
• Spray dicofol 18.5 EC 1.0 L or wettable sulphur 40 WP 3.0 kg or dimethoate 30 EC 1.0 L or phosalone 35 EC 1.0 L in 700 L water per ha
• Avoid synthetic pyrethroids as they cause resurgence after repeated spray.