Tropical and subtropical fruits (2+1)

Pests and diseases

• Anar fruit fly/fruit borer- Virachola isocrates
Rotting of fruit & affected fruits fall down

• Bark eating caterpillar – Inderbela tetraonis
It bores in to the bark & tree becomes weak & do not bear fruits.

Stem borer : Aleurodes species.
Fruit rot – Phomopsis sp.
Leaf spot – Colletotrichum gloeosporiodies
Physiological disorder

Fruit cracking

• It is common in pomegranate and also serious. This disorder is due to the prevalence of high temperature and moisture stress followed by rains cause fruit cracking during fruit development. In the young fruits, it could be due to boron deficiency.
  
• While in Mrigbahar (July) grown fruits, it might be due to sudden fluctuation in diurnal temperature. Also prolonged dry spell cause hardening of peel, if this is followed by heavy rainfall or irrigation then the pulp grows fast and results in cracking of pulp.
• The cracked fruits are also liable to be invaded by certain fungi and bacteria. The fruits loose their market value and become unfit for human consumption.
• The cultivars like ‘Bedana Bosek’ ‘Jalore seedless’ and ‘khog’ are comparatively tolerant to cracking.
Control measures

• Planting of varieties tolerant to fruit cracking.
• Early harvesting of fruits immediately after maturity
• Maintain optimum soil moisture during Mrig bahar fruiting
• Spray calcium hydroxide on foliage after fruit set.
• If boron deficiency – spray borax at 0.1 per cent to pl/20g/pl/year.
• Spray GA3 at 250ppm in June.
• Plant windbreak around the pomegranate plantation.