Spices and Condiments (1+1)

Pests and Diseases

Pests and Disease

Pests
Thrips (Hercothrips indicus) are reported to cause considerable damage to the crop, which can be controlled by spraying 0.15% Dimethoate. Semilooper (Tysanoplusia orichalcea) and Dolycoris indicus are the other pests of the fennel crop.

Diseases
Not many diseases and pests are reported to attack this crop. The leaf blight (Ram ularia foeniculi and Alternaria tenius) and mildew (Erysiphae polygoni) are among the other diseases that attack this crop. They can be controlled by spraying 0.2% Diathane M-45 and 0.3% Wettable sulphur, respectively. Collar-rot is a soil-borne disease, and the spread of the disease can be checked by drenching the soil with Bordeaux mixture (1%) or Copper oxychloride (0.2 or 0.3%).
The fungi Aspergillus and Penicillium are reported to damage the seeds during storage. Sugary disease is caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; the disease is spread by aphids. For vector control, spraying with Phosphomedon (0.2%) or Dimethoate (0.03%) or Quinolphos/DPVPC (0.05%) commencing from the 50% emergence of flowers and also at the seed development stage is recommended.

Physiological disorder
Fennel is most vulnerable to frost damage at the flowering and early seed-formation stages. The frost damage can be minimised by spraying 0.1% Sulphuric acid solution, irrigating the crop prior to the incidence of frost, using wind-breaks and creating smoke cover in the early morning.