Commercial Floriculture

Pests of tuberose

• Tuberoses are hardy crops and are not much affected by attacks of insects, pests and diseases.
• Aphids and grasshoppers are found to feed on flower buds and leaves.
• They can be controlled by a 0.1 % spray of Malathion or Rogor at an interval of 15 days.
• The leaves become yellow or bronze, due to the sucking of sap by red spider mites. 
• A spray of Metasystox (0.2%), wettable sulphur (0.3%) or Kelthane (0.5%) is recommended for effective control.
• The flowers also get deformed by thrips attack.
• The control measure suggested is to spray Nuvacron (0.1 %) or the application of Thimet to the soil.
• Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and greasy streak nematode (Aphelencoides besseyi) are reported to cause damage to the crop, which is characterized by the stunted growth of the plants. The leaf size is reduced and the flowers look sickly and, ultimately, the roots rot. The application of Thimet or Furadan (20 kg/ha) to the soil has been recommended for control.