Plantation Crops

Plant protection in arecanut

A) Pests:
• Mites (Red and white)
• Spindle bug
• Root grub
• Tender nut drop
• Thrips
B) Diseases:
• Koleroga, mahali or fruit rot
• Bud rot,
• Inflorescence die back and button shedding,
• Anabe roga/Foot rot
• YLD
• Leaf blight,
C) Physiological disorders:
• Hidimundige or band disease due to a) water logging b) High acidity and c) Hard sub soil strata.
• Nut splitting and
• Sunscorch/stem breaking
1.Root grub in arecanut
(White grub/Root grub: Leucopholis burmeisteri Brenskii)
• The grub : The grub is characterized by U shaped soft body with brown hairy legs.
• Stage of attack : Larvae of beetles.
• Method of damage : Feeding on tender roots ? Followed by older roots
  
  
Symptoms :
• Tapering of stem,
• Yellowing of leaves and
• Dropping of fruits
  Season of occurrence: May – June to February – March in moist soils
  
  
Control / Management:
• Improving drainage,
• Keeping plantation clean and free from weeds, un decomposed Organic matter or FYM
• Chemical control:
  Soil insecticides like Phorate / Thimet 10 G are used at 8g to 15 g per palm twice in a year i.e., May-June and September – October