Mango Cultivation: This dangerous insect is the sworn enemy of the mango crop, know how to protect it
Mango Cultivation: The mango crop will be ready in a few days. Mango growers need to be very careful at this time. Protection from pests is very important at this time. Even a little negligence can give negative results. An important pest that severely damages the mango crop is the mealybug. This small, soft-bodied, white insect weakens the plant by sucking the juice from the leaves, fruits and stems. As a result, the fruits remain small and the leaves turn yellow. Horticulture inspector Pankaj Mohan of Indo-Israel Farm Banjaria in Basti discussed the solution.
The plant becomes weak
Horticulture inspector Pankaj Mohan claims that apart from sucking the juice from the twigs and leaves, mango mealybugs also leave honeydew, a sticky substance that is home to black fungus, often known as black sooty mold. The fungus prevents the plant from producing food. As a result, the plant becomes weak and unable to produce food. As a result, there is a huge reduction in production. Young mealybugs hatched from eggs laid by females in the soil near the tree trunk climb up the tree and start drinking its sap. As a result, flowers stop growing and fruits drop prematurely. Apart from mango, these pests also prey on hibiscus, jackfruit and okra plants.
How to manage
According to Pankaj Mohan, to prevent mango mealybugs, growers should put grease bands on every tree. To do this, wrap a piece of thick polyethylene one foot wide around the tree trunk and apply oil underneath. Remember that no branch of the tree should be in contact with the soil. If mango mealybugs have climbed up the tree, mix 1.5 ml of chlorpyrifos in 1 liter of water and spray the tree. If they are small, the insects will die. If they have grown too big, controlling them can be challenging.
