Tropical and subtropical fruits (2+1)

Plant protection

Insect pests

• Few insects like scales, mealy bugs, aphids and thrips have been reported infesting the fruit tree. Scale insects and mealy bugs on stem and leaves.
• Mite incidence may be occasionally noted especially during summer.
Diseases

• Caller rot and wilt: This occurs mainly due to the incidence of pythium aphanidermatum and phytopthora palmivora.
• Anthracnose: (Colletotrichum gloesporiodes): The initial symptoms are small round water soaked area on fruits which later develop into sunken or concentric lesions. The disease also affects the petioles of lower leaves leading to their shedding.
• Powdery Mildew:- (Oidium caricae)- The fungus is found mostly growing on the upper surface of the leaves with drawing nutrients from the cells of the leaf surface. Under severe attack the top portions of the seedling may die.
Viral Diseases

• Mosaic
• Leaf curl
• Ring spot.- Of these, the papaya ring spot virus is common in North India, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and after it has become a major threat to papaya production in several tracts.
Nematodes

• Root knot (Meloidogyne Sp) - Affects the root systems and cause yield reductions.