Tropical and subtropical fruits (2+1)

Pests and diseases

Important Pests

1. Leaf eating caterpillar – Oeinaria varians – Caterpillar feeds on fig leaves and cause damage
2. Stem borer – Bactocera rufomaculata

The grubs bore into the stem and branches.

Diseases

1. Leaf rust - Cerotelium fici – Affected plant show small, round brown spots on the leaves, small rusty, raised spots on the underside of the leaves. In severe case defoliation of leaves will be observed.
2. Leaf spot – Cylindrocladium scopartium
3. Anthracnose – sphaceloma ficicuricae
4. Fig mosaic – Viral disease transmitted by a vector fig mites
5. Aceria ficus – Affected leaves show yellow – green spots, white mottle on leaves.
Disorders

• Sun burn – Young plants and severely pruned plants show cracking and bark also some times get peel off.
  
• Fruit cracking / splitting – This malady is caused due to sudden change in atmospheric humidity or due to rain showers at the time of ripening or nutritional disorders. This can be minimized by maintaining proper soil moisture.