IPM SCHEDULE FOR VEGETABLES

A. INSECT MANAGEMENT

1. TOMATO

1.1 Fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner)

The adult is stout and medium sized moth and has a dark circular spot in the
centre on the forewing. The larvae bore into the fruits with the posterior end out side the
hole. Full-grown caterpillars show characteristic whitish and dark brown longitudinal
stripes.

Borer damaged fruits Larva

NPV infected larva Marigold as a trap crop in IPM of tomato

Management

Under open conditions:

 Effective management can be done by adopting marigold as trap crop.
 Giving sprays of Ha NPV @ 250 LE /ha at 28,35 and 42 days after transplanting.
 Mechanical collection and destruction of bored fruit at periodic intervals
(3-4 times) brings down the borer incidence to less than 2 per cent.

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Under protected conditions:
 Spray Ha NPV at 250 LE/ha + 1% jaggery along with sticker (0.5 ml/litre) during
evenings when the larvae are young.
 For grown up larvae spay Indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 0.5 ml/l or thiodicarb 75 WP @
1g/l.

Serpentine leaf miner (Liromyza trifolii Burgess)

The tiny, metallic fly punctures the leaf lamina and feeds on the oozing sap.
Typical serpentine shaped tunnels are formed in the leaf lamina indicating the path of
feeding by the maggots.

Leaf miner damage on tomato leaves

Management
 Often the incidence starts from nursery itself. Hence remove infected leaves at
the time of planting or within a week of transplanting.
 Apply neem cake to furrows (open)/beds (polyhosue) @ 250 kg/ha at planting and
repeat after 25 days.
 Spray neem seed powder extract 4% or neem soap 1% at 15-20 DAPS.
 In open conditions, if the incidence is high, remove infected leaves and spray
triazophos 40 EC (1ml) mixed with 7.5 g neem/l.
 Under protected conditions avoid frequent spraying of synthetic pesticides. At the
most, one spray of deltamethrin 2.8 EC @ 1ml/l or Cypermethrin 25 EC @ 0.5
ml/l or triazophos 40 EC @ 2ml/l may be given, if required.

1.3 Whiteflies (Bemicia tabacii)

Whitefly is a well-known vector, which transmits tomato leaf curl virus. It has piercing
and sucking mouthpart and both nymphs and adults feed on lower surface of the leaves
causing deformation of young leaves. Whiteflies also excrete honeydew, causing sooty
mold.

Management
 Raise nurseries in seedling trays under nylon nets or polyhouses.
 Spray Imidacloprid 200 SL (0.3ml/l) or Thiomethoxam 25 WP (0.3 g/l) in nursery
at 15 days after sowing.

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  Remove the leaf curl infested plants as soon as disease symptoms are expressed.
 Drench the base of the seedlings with Imidacloprid 200 SL (0.03ml/l) or
Thiomethoxam 25 WP (0.3 g/l) before transplanting. If protreys are used for
raising nursery, drench the protreys with the chemicals one day before
transplanting.
 After transplanting give need-based sprays of Imidacloprid 200 SL (0.3ml/l) or
Thiomethoxam 25 WP (0.3 g/l) at 15 days after planting and do not repeat after
fruiting stage as this may leave harmful residues in fruits.
 Install yellow sticky traps coated with adhesive or sticky glue at crop canopy level
for monitoring adult whitefly population.
 If the traps indicate the whitefly activity, spray Dimethoate 30EC @ 2ml/l or
neem seed kernel extract 4% (NSKE) or pongamia or neem oil (8-10 ml/l) or
neem soap (10g/l).
 Rogue out the virus affected plants as soon as the symptoms are observed.

1.4 Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera lituara)

Eggs are laid in clusters on foliage. Young larvae feed gregariously on leaves. Mature
larvae, migrate and cause extensive damage to leaves and fruits. They hide in soil and
crop debris during the day time.
Management
 Collection and destruction of egg masses and gregarious larvae.
 Spray Spodoptera NPV 250 LE/ha + 1% jaggery along with sticker (0.5 ml/litre)
during evenings.
 Use poison baiting. Mix 10 kg of rice bran or wheat bran with 2 kg jaggery by
adding a little water in the morning. In the evening add 250 gm of Methomyl or
thiodicarb formulation and sprinkle over the bed. Caterpillars get attracted to
fermenting jaggery, feed and get killed.

1.5 Red spider mites (Tetranychus urticae)

Red spider mites thrive under high temperature, dry weather and are more serious
under protected conditions. They are generally found on the lower surface of older
leaves. Adults and nymphs lacerate the leaves causing yellowing and discoloration.

Management
 Remove and destroy the affected leaves.
 Under open conditions, spray Dicofol 18.5 EC @ 2.5 ml or wettable sulphur 80
WP @ 3g/l. Spray lower leaves and lower leaf surface thoroughly.
 As an alternative to the chemical acaricides spray neem oil/neem soap/ pongamia
soap 1%.
 Under polyhouse conditions spray need based application of acaricides like
Abamectin 1.9 EC @ 0.5 ml/l or Dicofol 18.5 EC @ 2.5 ml/l or fenazaquin 10 EC
@ 1 ml/l in rotation with plant products like pongamia oil or neem oil (8-10 ml/l)
or neem soap (10 g/l).

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  When incidence is severe, remove and destroy all severely infected leaves
followed by a spray of mixture of an acaricide with botanicals mentioned above.

1.6 Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica).

Root-knot nematodes cause root galls on the feeder roots and some times affect the entire
root system showing heavy galling. This causes stunted plants with yellow foliage
resulting in yield reduction.

Management
 Follow crop rotation with marigold, wherever possible.
 Seed treatment with bio-pesticides- Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10g/kg seed.
 Nursery bed treatment with T. harzianum @ 50 g/sq. m.
 For the management of nematodes in the main field apply 2 tons of farm yard
manure enriched with T. harizianum and Paecelomyces lilacinus per acre before
planting, along with 100-200 kg of neem or pongamia cake.
 Apply Carbofuran 3G @ 1 kg ai/ha at transplanting.

2. BRINJAL

2.1 Shoot and fruit borer (Leucinode orbonalis Guen)

The adult moths lay tiny white eggs singly on flower buds and other plant parts. Eggs
hatch into small light brown larvae. Caterpillars feed inside the tender shoots before
flowering and cause wilting of the affected shoots. Later, the larvae bore into flowers;
flower bud and the grown up larvae migrate and bore fruit contaminating them with
excreta.

Larva inside the stem larvae bore into fruit

Management
 Use nylon net barrier for raising nurseries to eliminate pest incidence coming
from nursery to main field.
 Cut and destroy wilted insect damaged shoot tips during pre-flowering and
flowering period at weekly intervals.

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  Regularly destruction of larvae in swollen damaged flower buds and fruits after
each harvest is compulsory.
 Grow all round barrier crops like maize.
 Practice clean cultivation.

Pheromone trap: Use of water traps loaded with pheromone @ 30 /Acre can reduce the
pest incidence to minimum level.

Botanical and bioagents:

 Apply neem or pongamia cake @ 250-500 kg/ha to ridges at flowering and repeat
2 more times at 30-45 days interval.
 Spray NSPE 4% or neem oil 2% at 10 days interval. Mix Cypermethrin 25 EC
(0.75 ml/l) with neem soap @ 7.5g/ l and spray.
 Spray Bacillus thuringiensis formulation (1%) at weekly interval followed by
release of Trichogramma chilonis @ 2,50,000 /ha (50,000 / release -5 times at
weekly intervals, starting from flowering).

2.2 Leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida)

Both adults and nymphs suck the sap from leaves. The eggs are inserted into the midrib
or veins. On hatching the nymphs move along the veins and nymphs suck the leaf sap.

Management
 Soil application of neem cake 250 kg/ha followed by sprays of NSPE 4% or neem
soap 1% at 10 days interval.
 Spray of systemic insecticides like Dimethoate 30 EC @ 2ml/l or Imidacloprid
200 SL @ 0.3ml/l or Acephate 75 SP (1 g/l) at pre-flowering stage.

2. 3 Ash weevil (Myllocerus subfasciatus Guerin)

Ash weevil is an endemic pest feed on the foliage and cause saw teeth like damage along
the leaf margin. Affected plants wilt and dry up. Wilting is first noticed in patches in a
plot. Both the roots and plant base show scraped damage.

Ash weevil damage on brinjal

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Management
 Soil application of neem cake at the time of transplanting (@ 250 kg/ha) and
repeat the neem cake application for 1 or 2 times at 30 and 60 DAP.

2.4 Epilachna beetle (Epilachna vigintioctopunctata, Fab.)

Both the grubs and the adult beetles scrape the leaves in semi-circular or half moon
shaped fashion. Females lay torpedo shaped, 15-50 yellowish eggs on the ventral surface
of leaves. Heavy infestation result in leaf skeletonization.

Adult beetle

Management
 Collect and destroy adult beetles.
 Spray any contact insecticide like Carbaryl 50 WP @ 3g/l or 40 EC @ 1.5 ml/l if
required.

2.5 Red spidermites (Tetranychus urticae Koch)

Tiny mites feed mainly on the lower surface of the leaves by scrapping the epidermis
causing yellowing of leaves followed by foliage drying.

Red spider mites damage on brinjal

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Management
 Spray of Dicofol 18.5 EC @ 2.5 ml or any other acaricide like wettable sulphur
75 WP @ 3 g/l.
 As an alternative to the chemical acaricides, spray of neem soap/pongamia soap
1% on the under surface of the leaves.

2.6 Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica)

The root-knot nematodes cause root galls on the feeder roots which some times affect the
entire root system showing heavy galling. Later, stunting of plants with yellow foliage
and reduction in yield is very common.

Root knot infected plant

Management
 Seed treatment with bio-pesticide-Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg seed.
 Nursery bed treatment with T. harizianum @ 50 g/sq.m.
 Apply 2 tons of farm yard manure enriched with T.harzianum and Paecilomyces
lilacinus per acre before planting, along with 100-200 kg of neem or pongamia
cake.
 Apply Carbofuran 1G @ 1kg ai/ha at transplanting.

3. CHILLI AND CAPSICUM

3.1 Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis)

Thrips are minute insects with fringed wings, serious during dry periods high
temperature. Both adult and nymphs suck the sap from young developing leaves.
Affected leaves curl upwards along the margin and get crinckled and reduced in size.

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 Leaf damage due to thrips in capsicum Thrips damage on Capsicum fruits

Management
 Apply neem cake @ 250 kg/ha to plant beds while planting and repeat after 30
days.
 Spray Acephate 75 SP@ 1.0g/l or Fipronil 5 SC @ 1ml/l or ethofenprox 10 EC @
1ml/l in rotation.
 Spray Acephate 75 SP (0.5 gm) + pongamia oil (2ml) +1 ml sticker in one litre
water after emulsifying (shaking thoroughly in a bottle).

3.2 White or yellow mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus)

Damage is more in hot and humid conditions. Adults and nymphs scrape terminal leaves
and auxiliary shoots. As a result, leaves become narrow, twisted with elongated petiole.

Yellow mite damage on capsicum Fruit discolouration

Management
 Apply wettable sulphur 80 WP @ 3g/l or any acaricide (directing the spray on the
ventral surface of leaves).
 Spray pongamia oil (2ml/l) mixed with acaricides.

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  Spray neem seed powder extract 4% at 10 days interval when the pest incidence is
low. As and when the pest incidence increases, spray with synthetic acaricides
like Dicofol 18.5 EC @ 2.5ml/l and repeat the spray after 10 days, if required.
 Under protected conditions spary acaricides like Abamectin 1.9 EC @ 0.5ml/l or
Dicofol 18.5 EC @ 2.5 ml/l or fenazaquin 10 EC@ 1ml/l in rotation with plant
products like pongamia oil or neem oil (8-10 ml/l) or neem soap (10g/l) when the
leaves start curling down with all the precautions.

3.3 Aphids (Aphis gossypi and Myzus persicae)

These are small green insects and suck the sap from tender leaves and flower buds.
Excretion of honeydew by aphids promotes sooty mould growth, thereby reducing
photosynthesis and fruit quality. Aphids also act as vectors for transmitting mosaic virus
disease.

Management
 Spray Acephate 75 SP @ 1g/l or Dimethoate 30 EC @ 2 ml/l in rotation when
required.
 Remove all the virus affected plants and destroy.

3.4 Borers: Tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura and tomato fruit borer, H. armigera
are also serious pest in chilli and capsicum. These affect the market value of the chilli
crop to a great extent, if proper care is not taken.

Tobacco caterpillar damage on capsicum

Management
 Spray specific NPV of the borer species.
 Inundative release of Trichogramma sp.
 Use marigold as trap crop (one row of marigold for every 18 rows of chilli) for
managing H. armigera.
 Collect and destroy eggs masses and immature larvae of S. litura.
 Use poison baiting (10 kg rice flour + 1kg of jaggery + 250 g of Methomyl 40 SP)
for S. litura and repeat the baiting 2-3 times if necessary.
 For S. exigua, spray Indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 0.75 ml/l or Spinosad @ 0.75 ml/l or
thiodicarb 75 WP@ 0.75 g/l.

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  Sometimes tomato fruit borer and tobacco caterpillar may also attack capsicum
under polyhouse. Follow the management practices given under tomato.

3.5 Root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita)

Root-knot nematodes cause root galls on the feeder roots which some times affect the
entire root system showing heavy galling. Later, stunting of plants with yellow foliage
and reduction in yield is very common.

Management
 Management practices given under tomato and brinjal are also effective on
chillies.

4. OKRA

4.1 Leaf hopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula)

Hoppers lay pear shaped, elongagted and yellowish white eggs in the veins on the under
surface of leaves. Both the adults and nymphs suck the cell sap. When the infestation is
high during summer, leaves turn brick red and show large necrotic spots, which is often
confused with fungal infection.

Management
 Apply neem cake @ 250 Kg/ha to soil immediately after germination and repeat
after 30 days.
 In the initial stages of crop before flowering spray systemic insecticide like
Acephate 75 SP (1ml/l) or Imidacloprid (0.3 ml/l). Once the fruit harvest starts
avoid systemic insecticides.
 Spray neem or pongamia soaps @ 0.5% or pulverized Neem Seed Powder Extract
(NSPE) 4% at the lower surface of the leaves.

4.2 Shoot and fruit borer (Earias vittella and E. insulana)

Spotted bollworms are active through out the year reaching peaks during March-May and
August-October. Female lays green colored eggs with longitudinal ridges on buds,
flowers and fruits.

Fruit borer damage on Okra

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Management
 Collect and destroy the affected fruits and stems.
 Apply neem cake @ 250 kg/ha after germination and repeat two more times at 30
days interval and spray neem soap 1% or NSPE 4% spray at 10 days interval.
 During rainy season, spray effective contact insecticides like Indoxacarb 14.5 SC
@ 0.75 ml/l. A waiting period of minimum one week to be maintained.
 Avoid staggered planting.

4.3 Aphids (Aphis gossypii)

This is a polyphagous pest, feeding in colonies and completely covers the shoot tips, buds
and lower surface of leaves. Both nymphs and adults suck the sap. They also excrete
honeydew on which sooty mould develops.

Management
 Clip and destroy infested shoots
 Thoroughly spray neem or pongamia soap (1%) or pulverized neem seed powder
extract (NSPE) 4%. During pre-flowering period spray systemic insecticides like
Dimethoate 30 EC (2ml/l) or Acephate 75 SP or acetamiprid.

4.4 Whitefly (Bemesia tabaci)

It is a polyphagous vector transmitting yellow vein mosaic disease (YVM). It lays eggs
on the lower surface of leaves. Both the adult and the nymph feed by sucking leaf sap.
They excrete honeydew, which results in sooty mould.

Management
 Grow YVM resistant varieties/hybrids
 Apply neem cake @ 250 kg/ha at germination and again at 30 DAP followed by
sprays of pulverized neem seed powder extrat 4% or neem oil 1%.
 Spray Imidacloprid 200 SL @ 0.3ml/l or Thiomethoxam 0.3 gm/l (should not be
sprayed after flowering stage)

4.5 Mites (Tetranychus cinnobarinus, Oligonychus coffeae)

The infestation of mites is mostly observed during the warm and dry periods of the
season. Nymphs and adults lacerate the leaves resulting in whitish grey patches and
affected leaves become mottled, turn brown and fall.

Management
 Spray Dicofol 18.5 EC @ 2.5 ml or any other acaricide like wettable sulphur 50
WP @ 3g/l.
 As an alternative to synthetic acaricides, spray neem soap/pongamia soap 1%.
 Thoroughly spray on the under surface of the leaves for good control.

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4.6 Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica)
The above ground symptoms are, stunting of the plant with yellow foliage often mistaken
for nutrient deficiency symptoms. The reduction in size of fruits is often accompanied by
fresh flower drop.

Management
 Seed treatment with bio-pesticide Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10g/kg seed.
 Apply 2 tons of farm yard manure enriched with Pochonia chlamydosporia
and Paecilomyces lilacinus per acre before sowing, along with 100-200 kg of
neem or pongamia cake.
 In case of severe incidence, apply Carbofuran 1.5 kg ai/ha.

5. CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES (Cabbage, Cauliflower etc.)

5.1 Diamond back moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella L.)

This is a major pest of cruciferous crops, particularly cabbage and cauliflower during
January-June and also during dry periods in monsoon. The first instar larvae mine the
epidermal surface of the leaves. Second instars onwards the larvae feed externally by
making holes in the leaves.

Damage on cabbage Larvae

Mustard as a trap crop in cauliflower and cabbage IPM

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Management
 Sow Indian mustard as a trap crop.
 Spray neem seed powder extract @ 4% or neem soap 1% or pongamia soap 1%
thoroughly coverage to the crop canopy.
 Install light traps (3-4 with 60 or 100 Watt bulbs / acre) to control adults. For one
acre plot use 3-4 light traps (60 or 100 Watt bulbs) by hanging above a bucket
half filled with water. Alternatively, hang the bulb above a gunny bag (slating
below) smeared with grease or oil. Illuminate the bulbs for full night. Adults of
DBM will get attracted to light and trapped in the water/oil. Use the light traps
for 3-4 days for effective control of DBM adults.
 As this pest has developed resistance against many insecticides, use of effective
insecticide currently available in market is essential.
 Follow the detailed IPM package as given at the end of the section of pests of
cruciferous vegetables.
 The adults migrating from neighbouring plots are to be controlled by using light
traps spraying an affective insecticide.

5.2 Leaf webber (Crocidolomia binotalis Zeller)

Young larvae feed gregariously and later web the leaves together and feed within. This
results in rotting of cabbage head and cauliflower curds.

Leaf webber damage on cabbage

Management
 Collect and destroy egg masses and gregarious larvae.
 Spray any contact insecticide on the foliage when the larvae are observed.
 Spray neem seed kernel extract 4% or pulverized neem seed powder extract
(NSPE) 4%.

5.3 Stem borer (Hellula undalis Zeller)

The adult moths lays eggs singly on leaves, the hatched larvae mine the leaves along side
veins. The grown up larvae bore into stems preventing head initiation, which results in
multiple shoots and multiple head formation.

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Management
 Spray the seedlings with an effective contact insecticide before planting followed
by one more spray at 10 DAP, particulary for summer and kharif crop (March-
July).

 Spray pulverized Neem Seed Powder Extract (NSPE) 4%.

5.4 Aphids (Brevicoryne brassicaeLinn, Myzus persicae Sulzer )

Aphids suck the sap, devitalize the plants affecting the quality of head or curds and
become severe when contract insecticides are sprayed regularly. Direct feeding on young
growth leads to wilting of plants. M. persicae is the most important aphid virus vector.

Myzus persicae Brevicoryne brassicae

Management
 Spray any systemic insecticide like Dimethoate 3 EC @ 2ml/l when the aphids are
observed.
 Spray pulverized neem seed powder extract (NSPE) 4%.
 Follow mustard trap crop IPM as mustard will attract all aphids after flowering
and main crop will be spared of the pest incidence.

MINOR PEST

5.5 Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera lituara Fab.)

The moths lay eggs in groups and young larvae upto third instar feed gregariously and
skeletonises the leaves. Grown up larvae completely devour the leaves and other plant
parts in case of severe incidence.

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 Tobacco caterpillar damage on cabbage head
Management
 Collect and destroy egg masses and gregarious feeding larvae.
 Scouting regularly helps to locate egg masses and skelitonised leaves.
 Poision baiting (10 kg rice/wheat flour + 1 kg of jaggery + 500 g of Methomyl
formulation per acre)- Mix the flour with jaggery, leave for 6-8 hrs, in the
morning. In the evening add insecticide and mix carefully by wearing glouse with
a stick. Sprinkle the mixture in furrows. The fermenting jaggery attracts the
caterpillars and will be killed due to poison baiting. Repeat the baiting 2-3 days
for total control.

6. LEGUMENOUS VEGETABLES

6.1 Pod borers

A complex of pod borers viz., Lampides boeticus L., Maruca testulalis Geyer, Adisura
atkinsoni (Lethierry), L. boeticus, Helicoverpa armigera affects the leguminous crops by
feeding floral parts and pods resulting in reducing their marketable quality.

6.1.1 Lycaenid borer (Lampides boeticus L.)

This is a butter fly pest and commonly known as pea blue. In peas, the larvae bore into
young pods. The entry hole gets blocked after some time. However, in lablab, the larvae
bore into flower buds. The pest can be monitored by the presence of the bored holes.

Management
 In peas, spray at flowering as soon as eggs are noticed with Cypermethrin 25
EC@ 2.5 ml/l or Indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 0.5 ml/l.
 In lablab, spray at flower bud stage, when on an average about 1 flower bud is
damaged per inflorescence.

6.1.2 Spotted pod borer (Maruca testulalis Geyer)

The pyralid moth lays eggs on small flower buds as soon as flowering starts. Flower
buds can be examined for holes caused by young larvae.

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Management
 Apply neem cake 250 kg/ha at flowering and first spray at flower bud formation
with pulverized neem seed powder extract (PNSPE) 4% or neem soap 1%.
Repeat after one week.
 Spray Cypermethrin 25 EC @ 0.5ml/l or Chlorpriphos 20 EC @ 2.5 ml/l or
Indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 0.5 ml/l.

6.1.3 Field bean pod borer (Adisura atkinsoni, Lethierry)

This is the major pod borer in field bean and the larva resembles H. armigera. The
young larvae bore into these pods and develop inside and come out after attaining fourth
instar, which is a migratory stage.

Management
 Apply neem cake 250 kg/ha at flowering and repeat after 20 days. Spray
pulverized neem seed powder extract (NSPE) 4% of neem soap 1% at tender pod
formation. Repeat sprays at 10 days intervals.
 Spray Cypermethrin 25 EC @ 0.5 ml/l or chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 2.5 ml/l or
Indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 0.5 ml/l at peak egg laying period at tender pod stage and
repeat after 15 days.

6.1.4 Gram pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner)

This polyphagous pest attacks peas occasionally along with L. boeticus. The habit of egg
laying and larval feeding are the same as pea blue butterfly.

Management
 As soon as eggs are noticed give the first spray at flowering with Indoxacarb
14.5 SC @ 0.5 ml/l or Novaluron 10 EC @ 0.75 ml/l.

6.2 Aphids (Aphis craccivora Koch & Acrythosiphon pisum Harris)

Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from young plant parts like shoot tips and
inflorescence. A. craccivora is greenish black and A. pisum is greenish in colour.
A. pisum generally occurs on peas

Damaged leaves and flowers

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Management
 Clip infected shoots and spray neem soap or pongamia soap @ 1%.
 Spray Acephate 75 WP @ 0.75 m/l or Dimethoate 30 EC 2ml/l.

6.3 Bugs: Many bugs are known to attack leguminous crops. Of these, Nezara viridula
and Coptosoma cribraria are often serious, mostly on cowpeas and lablab. Eggs are laid
on tender plant parts. Nymphs and adults suck the sap from foliage, flower parts and
pods and emit characteristic bad smell.

Management
 Apply neem cake 250 kg per ha immediately after germination and repeat at
flowering. Spray neem soap 1% or pulverized neem seed powder extract (NSPE)
4% at 10 days interval.
 Spray with Indoxacarb 0.5 ml/l if the incidence is high.

6.4 Bean fly (Ophiomyia phaseoli Tryon & O. centrocematis de Majore)

Bean flies are the major pest attacking several legumes. While the first species attacks
mostly beans and cowpeas, the second species attacks peas.

6.4.1 Bean fly (O. phaseoli)

This species is serious in French beans and peas but also can be noticed on dolichos
beans. The larvae mine the leaf lamina, veins, midrib, and petiole and enter the stem
resulting in mortality.

Management
 Apply neem cake 250 kg/ha immediately after germination. Do not delay,
particularly during kharif period.
 Monitor the plants for adult activities, puncture marks and petiole mining soon
after germination.
 As soon as a few adults are noticed hovering over the crop, spray Endosulfan 35
EC @ 2ml/l or Acephate 75 WP @ 0.75 g/l or PNSPE 4% or neem soap 1% or
neem formulation with 10000 ppm Azadirachtin 2 ml/l. The botanicals get
washed away by rain and become ineffective if it rains within 1-2 days of spray.
 Give second spray after 12-20 days of sowing if 5 leaves show petiole mining
symptoms per 10 leaves.

6.4.2 Bean fly (O. centrocematis): This species is specific to peas and lays eggs in the
base of the stem resulting in drying of the leaves, from the base. Hence, the first
symptom is drying of the first primitive leaf at the base, which occurs after about 20 days
of sowing.

Management
 Apply neem cake 250 kg per hectare to the ridges immediately after germination
followed by sprays of pulverized neem seed powder extract 4% or neem soap 1%
or neem formulation with more than 10000 ppm Azadirachtin 2-3 ml/l at 20 and
30 DAP.

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  Spray Acephate 0.75 ml/l or Dimethoate 30 EC @ 2ml per litre at 20 and 30
DAP.

7. CUCURBITACEOUS VEGETABLES

7.1 Red pumpkin beetle (Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas & A. lewisii Baly)

Beetle feeding on cucurbit leaf Red pumpkin beetle

The adults are small, elongated yellow defoliate the leaves, immediately after
germination. The larvae feed on roots and plant parts.

Management
 Mechanically collect and destroy the pest if incidence is low.
 If the pest incidence is very severe, spray Indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 0.5 ml/l or
Cabaryl 50 WP 4g/l or 25 EC @ 2ml/l or Chlorpyriphos 20 EC2.5ml/l.

7.2 Serpentine leaf miner (Liriomyza trifolii Burgess)

Heavy incidence is noticed in watermelon, pumpkin, cucumber etc. However, bitter
gourd seems to be resistant.

Management
 Soil application of neem cake @ 250 kg/ha immediately after germination.
 Destroy cotyledon leaves with leaf mining at 7 days after germination.
 Spray PNSPE @ 4% or neem soap 1% or neem formulation with 10000 ppm or
more (2ml/l) after 15 days sowing and repeat after 15 days, if necessary.
 If the incidence is high first remove all severely infected leaves and destroy.
Then mix neem soap 5 gm and hostothion 1 ml/l and spray. After one week spray
neem soap 1% or PNSPE or neem formulation with 10000 ppm or more (2ml/l).
 Never spray the same insecticide repeatedly.

7.3 Fruit fly (Bactocera cucurbitae Coquillett).

The damage by maggots results in rotting of young and ripened fruits or drying and
shriveling of fruits before maturity. Some times even the base of the plant gets attacked
and plant start wilting.

18
Management
 Use resistant varieties viz Arka Suryamukhi (Pumpkin).
 Soil application of neem cake @ 250 kg/ha immediately after germination and
repeat at flowering followed by sprays of neem soap 1% or PNSPE 4% at 10 days
interval after flowering.
 Crush pumpkin 1 kg and add 100 gm jaggery and 10 ml Malathion and keep in
the plot (4-6 places per acre). Adults are attracted to the fermenting pumpkin and
lay eggs and get killed. Repeat the process 2-3 times in a cropping season.
 Erect cuelure (para pheromone trap) 3 per acre to attract and trap male fruit flies.
 Spray Carbaryl 50 WP @ 3 gm/l or Indoxacarb 0.5 ml/l.

7.4 Red spider Mite (Tetranychus neocaledonicus Andre)

This pest is serious on cucurbits during warmer climate. Colonies of mites with in silk
web can be observed on ventral leaf surface when incidence is high.

Management
 Spray neem or pongamia soap at 1% on lower surface thoroughly.
 Alternately, spray Dimethoate 30 EC @ 2ml/l or Ethion 50 EC @ 1ml/l or
Wettable Sulphur 80 WP @ 3g/l.

7.5 Thrips (Thrips palmi Karny)

Both nymphs and adults feed on the young shoot tips and floral parts and is
suspected vector of Tospo virus. They are serious during summer months.

Management
 Soil application of neem cake (once immediately after germination and again at
flowering) followed by NSPE @ 4% and neem soap 1% alternately at 10-15 days
interval.
 Spray any systemic insecticides like Acephate 75 SP @ lg/l or Dimethoate 30 EC
@ 2ml/l.

7.6 Leaf eating caterpillar (Dipahania (=Margaronia) indica Saund)

Long shining caterpillars feed on leaves and fruits.

Management
 Apply neem cake to soil immediately after germination.
 Spray any contact insecticides like Carbaryl 50 WP @ 3g/l.
 Neem or pongamia soap @ 0.75% also effectively manages this pest.
 Soil application of neem cake (once immediately after germination and again at
flowering) followed by NSPE @ 4% and neem soap 1% alternately at 10-15 days
interval.
 Spray Carbaryl 50 WP @ 3g/l or Indoxacarb 0.5 ml/l.

19
7.7 Root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita)
The root-knot nematodes cause root galls from the initial stages of the crop growth. The
larvae feed on the roots, which show typical galls, and later the entire root system shows
heavy galling.

Management
 Seed treatment with bio-pesticide Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10g/kg seed.
 Apply Carbofuran 3 G @ 1kg ai/ha at sowing and repeat after 45 days.
 Apply 2 tons of FYM enriched with Pochonia chlamydosporia and Paecilomyces
lilacinus per acre before sowing, along with 100-200 kg of neem or pongamia
cake.

8. ONION AND GARLIC

8.1 Thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman)

Thrips are pestiferous in diverse ways. They cause direct damage to leaves and bulbs,
aggravate fungal diseases and even vector virus.

Thrip damages onion Thrips hide deep inside flowers

Damage of bulb leaves Thrip damage during bulb Congregation of thrips

development in tender leaves

20
Management

Monitoring: Sticky traps are commonly used for detecting thrips populations. Various
colours were found attracting different species of thrips in various geographical areas;
widely used ones are yellow and bright blue traps.

Cultural:
 Good crop management practices can be readily manipulated to the disadvantage
of thrips.
 Field sanitation techniques such as removing alternate weed host on bunds and
destruction of culls of onion and garlic are helpful to some extent in bringing
down thrips population.
 Avoid successive planting of onion and garlic or other preferred host. Therefore
planting in upwind direction could be helpful in escaping infestation from old
planting to some extent in the initial stages.

Planting Date: By making adjustments in transplanting dates, onions can be made

tolerant to early thrips attack and satisfactory yields can be obtained with minimum
chemical intervention.

Mulching
 Thrips being color-sensitive, coloured mulches may be employed for their control.
 Reflective plastic Silver colour and aluminium painted black mulches were
effective in repelling the thrips in seed crop.

Irrigation: Sprinkler irrigation reduces thrips population considerably compared to drip

and surface irrigation. Insects would be washed off or drowned in the water accumulated
in the leaf bases.

Barriers: Two rows of maize or inner row of wheat and outer row of maize surrounding
the onion plots.

Biological control
 These include lady beetles, minute pirate bugs, ground beetles, big-eyed bugs,
lacewings, hover flies, predatory mites and spiders. So far limited success has
been achieved in biological control of T. tabaci in many parts of the world.
 A predator, minute pirate bug, Orius tantillus and anthocorid bug, found
effectively feeding on thrips on garlic.
 Metarhizium ansopliae, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus, Verticillium lecani and
Frankliniella also killed T. tabaci sp. Mortality of thrips was highest with
B. bassiana at 260 C and 75% RH.

Botanicals: Neem was found effective when mixed with insecticides.

Chemical: Many insecticide like dimethoate (0.06%) and methyl demeton (0.05%) are
recommended for thrips control. Cypermethrin at 60 g ai/ ha offers good control of this
pest. Carbosulfan (0.05%) and lambda cyhalothrin also effectively suppress thrips
population.

21
  The secret of thrips control in onion lies in the placement of the insecticide. It is
necessary for the product to reach the base of the leaves where the majority of the
thrips area located. Unlike other crops, onion and garlic require higher pressure
and spray volume for good coverage of foliage. Addition of a spreader or sticker
(0.05-1.0%) is useful for retention and spread of spray fluid on erect leaves of
onion. Avoid repeated use of the same insecticide to minimise development of
insecticide resistance.
 In seed crop, control of thrips is often difficult. The umbels will provide
excellent hiding site and it is difficult to reach them with insecticide.
 From the beginning, seed crop should be monitored regularly for thrips and
should be controlled well before flowers open.
 Avoid sprays after flower opening.
 If necessary, safer insecticide should be used late in the evening when no bees are
foraging.

8.2. Maggot (Delia antique)

Symptoms: Onion maggot is more restricted to cooler coastal climates where onions are
grown on organic and muck soils. Maggot is primarily a pest of onions and do not cause
economic damage to garlic.

Pest Management

Cultural
 Avoid planting in soils that are high in undecomposed organic matter.
 Avoid close spacing while planting.
 Control of D. antique is exceptional in areas where crop rotation was followed in
the previous year.

Biological: Ground beetle is a good predator and establishing grassy refuse strips in
onion crop will enhance the beetle population and reduce the maggot population.

Chemical control
 Application of pirimiphos methyl or deltamethrin at 2ml/lit.
 Fipronil 80WG (Regent @25 g ai/kg) and cyromazine (Governor 75 WP @ 50 g
ai/kg), an insect growth regulator as seed treatment were recommended.

8.3. Army Worms (Spodoptera exigua, S.litura) and Helicoverpa armigera Hubner
Larvae feed inside the stem and move upward to reach the base of the umbel at early
stages of flowering. Subsequently it invades the umbel and feeds on seeds. Arka Niketan
was least attacked.

22
 Infestation of pest on umbel Close up of pest

Pest Management
 Pheromone traps can be placed at 125 cm height and dispenser should be
regularly replaced for effective trapping.
 NPV and Bt can also be employed for control of the pest.
 Insecticides like cypermethrin, quinolphos, acephate etc. can be used if infestation
is more.

8.4. Bulb Mite (Rhizoglyphus robini Claparede)

This pest infests the bulbs by penetrating the outer layer of tissue.

Mite infested bulb

Management
 Decaying cole crops, especially cauliflower, may harbour very high bulb mite
populations in the filed.
 Avoid planting successive onion or garlic crops.
 Flood irrigation or heavy rains may reduce mite levels in the soil.
 In garlic, sow clean seed cloves.
 Hot water treatment of seed garlic before planting may reduce mite infestation
 Soil drenching with dicofol at 2 ml/1 or soil application of powdered sulfur
effectively reduce the mite population considerably. Fumigation with methyl

23
 bromide @16 g/m3 for 3 h or 10 g/m3 for 6 h is recommended for control of
mobile phases of the mite in stored garlic.

8.5. Eriophyid Mite (Aceria tulipae Keifer)

Garlic plants infested with mite show symptoms like stunting, twisting, curling and
yellow mottling and reduce the plant stand as well as yield.

Garlic plants infested with mite

Management
 Flood irrigation or heavy rains may reduce field populations.
 Avoid planting successive onion or garlic crops.
 Wettable sulfur 0.3% + dimethoate (0.03%) as pre-sowing and post-sowing
treatment is recommended.
 Seed dressing and plant stand treatments with 0.5% sulfur and 0.1% dimethoate
are also effective in controlling mites.
 Hot water treatment of seed garlic at 55 and 600 C for 10 minutes was also
effective but affects clove sprouting capacity.
 Fumigation with methyl bromide at 32 g/m3 for 2 h at 800 F or 3 g/m3 aluminium
phosphide for 72 h in airtight plastic box has been recommended for the control of
mite in stored garlic.

8.6. Red Spider Mite (Tetranychus cinnabarinus)

Symptoms: Tetranychid mites are an important that are found through out the world on
major vegetable crops. This is emerging as a regular mite pest in onion and garlic .

24
 Red spider mites Attack of red mite on leaves

Management
 Spraying miticides like dicofol and ethion.
 Even a thorough water spray also washes off the mites from the plant.

B. DISEASES

1. TOMATO

1.1 Alternaria Blight (Alternaria solani, A. alternata f.sp. lycopersici)

Symptoms:
Symptoms of early blight appear on all above ground parts of the plant. Pre and
post emergence damping off in seedbeds also occurs.

Elongated & concentric on stem/ fruit lesions/ foliage due to Alternaria

Management
 Crop rotation with non-solanaceous host is essential for effective reduction of
inoculum.
 Healthy seeds should be collected only from disease-free fruits.
 Field sanitation by plucking the lower leaves and burning of infected crop debris.

25
  Summer ploughing to increase the desiccation of pathogen and infected plant
parts.
 Minimize relative humidity in plant canopy for preventing the infection.
 Two spray of chlorothalonil @0.2% at 8 days interval is effective against the
disease but spray must be started soon after infection on floral part.

1.2 Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans)

Symptoms
Blight appears on foliage as light-pale green water soaked dead area. It enlarges rapidly
until entire leaves are killed and exposing all the fruits for infection. In moist and cloudy
weather a downy white fungus develops near the outer margin of lesion on underside of
the leaves.

Phytophthora blight on green fruits

Management
 Always use healthy and certified seeds collected from disease free area.
 Infected crop debris and fruits must be collected from the field and burnt.
 Preventive sprays of mancozeb@ 0.25% provide good control in cloudy, cold and
drizzling weather but spray interval should be 5 to 7 days.
 One spray of metalaxyl+ mancozeb@0.2% is very effective when applied within
two days of infection but repetitive sprays should not be given.
 Staking of plant reduces all Phytophthora diseases of tomato.

1.3 Collar Rot (Sclerotium rolfsii)

Symptoms:
White, cottony and silvery mycelial growth is clearly visible on the affected
portion. Fungal growth is also found just below the soil surface. Later on white to light
brown mustard like sclerotium is observed on the same portion.

26
 Wilting by collar rot Sclerotia on fruits

Management
 Use crop rotation with cereals, corn, sorghum and millets.
 Remove all the weeds from field.
 Avoid use of infested farmyard manure, soil crop debris and compost in the field.
 Irrigate the soil in summer and plough the field to destroy germinating sclerotia.
 Green manuring followed by application of Trichoderma @ 5 kg/ha within a
week of ploughing.
 Seedlings dip in Trichoderma@ 1% for 10 minutes.
 Avoid dense planting and maintain proper aeration near collar region.
 Use Ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer for nitrogen source.
 Drench copper oxychloride @ 0.3% near the collar region followed by
carbendazim @ 0.1% for immediate control.
 Fungicide drenching should be done preferably in evening.

1.4 Pseudocercospora Leaf Blight (Pseudocercospora fuligena)

Olivacious black sooty growth of fungus was observed on the lower surface of the leaves.

Black moldy growth on foliage

27
Management
 Collect and burn the infected leaves.
 One spray of hexaconazole or triademephon or bitertanol @ 0.05% at 7-10 days
interval.
 Be careful for selecting exotic hybrids and varieties.

1.5 White Rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)

Symptoms:
Infection starts during flowering stage. Soft, wet, water soaked rotting of stem,
leaves, fruits, and flowers are observed followed by white fungal growth over it.

Sclerotinia on fruits rot

Management
 Cut the infected plants parts along with some healthy portion in morning and
carefully collect in polythene to avoid falling of sclerotia in the field. Burn all
these materials away from field.

 Foliar spray of carbendazim @ 0.1% at flowering stage followed by spray of

mancozeb @ 0.25% in cool, cloudy and humid weather.

1.6 Fruit Rots Pythium and Phytophthora affect green fruits while Rhizoctonia,
Myrothecium, Colletotrichum, Phomopsis, Alternaria and Cladosporium affect matured
fruits.

28
 Rhizoctonia fruit rot Myrothecium fruit rot

Management
 Avoid the contact of fruit from soil by staking of plant.
 Provide proper drainage in the field.
 Green mannuring followed by soil application of Trichoderma @ 5 kg/ha in soil is
very effective in checking most of the fruit rotting.
 Collect affected fruit and buy them to reduce primary inoculums.

1.7 Grey Leaf Spot (Stemphillium solani)

Symptoms:

Small circular dark brown necrotic, numerous spots appeared all over the leaf
lamina that is uniformly distributed on entire foliage.

Management
 Periodical monitoring of the crop for initiation of disease from last fortnight of
December to first week of January.
 Foliar spray of either mancozeb @ 0.25% or chlorothalonil @ 0.2% two to three
times at 7-10 days interval.
 Restricted used of exotic hybrids.
 Removal and burning of all crop debris after senescence of the crop.

1.8 Bacterial Spot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria)

Symptoms:
Small, dark spots appear on leaflets and stems of seedlings transplanted crop.
Numerous spots coalesced and cause severe burning of the leaves. Prominent yellow
halo is observed around the spot.

29
 Bacterial leaf blight Bacterial canker on fruits

Management
 Summer ploughing to desiccate the bacteria and host.
 Soil solarization in nursery bed to avoid seedling infection.
 Rotation of nursery seedbed and main field.
 Seed should be collected form disease free plants.
 Seed dipping in streptocycline solution @ 100 ppm.
 Adopt inter cropping of urd and mung as mulches to prevent rain splash.
 One spray of streptocycline @ 150-200 ppm followed by one spray of copper
oxychloride @ 0.2% in afternoon.
 Use tolerant line of tomato like LE-415.
 One spray of copper oxychloride @ 0.3% after fifteen days of antibiotics
application.

1.9 Bacterial Speck (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato)

Symptoms:
It is characterized by absence of chlorotic halo around spot, crusty and
comparatively larger spots. Some time yellow halo is observed in this Pseudomonas
species.

Bacterial speak on leaves

30
Management
 Seed dipping in streptocycline solution @ 100 ppm.
 Summer ploughing to desiccate the bacteria and host.
 Seed should be collected from disease free plants.
 One spray of streptocycline @ 150-200 ppm in afternoon.
 One spray of copper oxychloride @ 0.3% after 10 days of antibiotic application.

1.10 Leaf Curl Complex (Virus-transmitted by white fly as well as by mechanical

injury)

Symptoms:
Leaves show downward rolling, curling, twisting and chlorosis. Plants show
stunting, shortening of internodes, bushy appearance, no flowering and fruiting at later
stage of virus infection.

Tomato leaf curl complex

Management
 Removal of weed host form field near surrounding areas.
 Root dipping in imidacloprid solution @ 4-5 ml per liter of water for one hour
during transplanting of the seedlings.
 Nursery should be grown in nylone net to check the white fly infection.
 Seed treatment with hot water at 50 C or 10% trisodium phosphate solution for 25
minutes.
 Use barrier crop of taller non-host crop like maize, bajra and sorghum.
 Collect healthy seeds form disease free plants.
 Periodical sprays of systemic insecticides up to flower setting.
 Avoid mechanical injury during intercultural operations.
 Use tolerant varieties.
 Roughing of infected plants soon after infection at initial stage of growth.

31
2. BRINJAL

2.1 Phomopsis Blight (Phomopsis vexans)

Symptoms
Leaves show clearly defined circular, light brown spots mostly in lower leaves.
Center of the spots is slightly lighter in color.

Phomopsis stem blight Fruit rot & infected seed

2.2 Rhizoctonia Root Rot (Rhizoctonia solani)

Symptoms:
Lesions start on stem near collar region at or below the soil level and move
downward into the roots. Later on drooping and wilting of the plant observed.

Rhizoctonia root rot & wilting

32
Management
 Crop rotation with sugarcane and wheat is important for inoculums reduction of
this soil pathogen.
 All infected plants must be uprooted and burnt along with field sanitation by
removing all the weeds.
 Summer ploughing followed by once irrigation in between April to June and then
again ploughing to reduce the activated soil inoculums.
 Green mannuring in June and July followed by soil application of Trichoderma @
5 kg/ha soon after ploughing of the sunhemp.
 Seedlings dip in Trichoderma @1% suspension for 10 minutes before
transplanting.
 Drenching of Trichoderma @ 1% suspension after 15 days of transplanting and
repeat at 15 days intervals if required.
 Maintain proper drainage and aeration in the field.
 Balanced dose of fertilizers including micronutrients is effective for reducing the
disease.
 Drenching of carbendazim @ 0.1% near collar region is costly control measure
and moreover ensures the status of previously applied Trichoderma during use of
carbendazim.

2.3 Sclerotinia Rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)

Symptoms:
Water soaked lesions develop and the infected tissue macerated by the pathogen.
Plants start dying form apical portion because primary infection always takes place on
flowers leads to rotting of adjoining plant parts. These sclerotia become black after
drying.

White rot on twig Stem rotting by Sclerotinia

33
Management
 Crop rotation with flooded rice is beneficial for reducing the soil inoculums.
 Summer ployghing in such a way that surface is buried deep.
 Green mannuring in June and July followed by soil application of Trichoderma @
5 kg/ha soon after ploughing of the sunhemp.
 Crop debris and infected plant parts should be carefully cut along with some
healthy part and collected form the field in morning. These should be burnt
without shattering and falling of sclerotia in the field.
 Spray carbendazim @ 0.1% soon after flowering.
 Alternate spray of mancozeb @ 0.25% at 8-10 days interval of carbendazim
spray.
 Dense planting should be avoided to reduce the shade and humidity in plant
canopy.

2.4 Collar Rot (Sclerotium rolfsii)

Symptoms:
White, cotton like and silvery mycelium growth is clearly visible on the affected
portion. Later on white to light brown mustard like sclerotia is observed on the same
portion. Progressive dropping and yellowing or wilting of the entire plant is
observed.

Wilting and fungal structures

Management
 Carefully select crop rotation with cereals, corn, sorghum and millets because
the pathogen is having broad host range.
 Remove all the weeds particularly dicot form field.
 Avoid use of infected farmyard manure, soil, compost etc. in the field.
 Irrigate the soil in summer and plough the field to destroy germinating
sclerotia.
 Green manuring followed by application of Trichoderma @ 5 kg/ha withing a
week of ploughing.
 Seedlings dip in Trichoderma @ 1% for 10 minutes.
 Avoid dense planting and maintain proper aeration near collar region.

34
  Always use ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer for nitrogen source.
 Drench copper oxychloride @ 0.3% near the collar region followed by
carbendazim @ 0.1% for immediate control.
 Fungicide drenching should be done preferably in evening.

2.5 Pseudocercospora Leaf Blight (Pseudocercospora sp.)

Symptoms:
Olivacious black sooty growth of fungus was observed on the lower surface of the
leaves.

Black mold
Management
 Collect and burn the infected leaves.

 Spray hexaconazole or triademephon or bitertanol @ 0.05% when disease

appears.

 Restricted use of exotic susceptible hybrids and varieties is advocated.

2.6 Bacterial Wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum)

Symptoms:
The lower leaves droop before wilting occurs. The vascular systems become light
brown. Root and rootlets are rotted leaving only corky portion of main root.

Management
 When the pathogen is established in soil, satisfactory control is very difficult.
 Always prefer to grow tolerant varieties because chemical control is neither
feasible nor economic.
 Infested soil should be kept fallow for about a year and frequently disked during
the summer season to accelerate desiccation of plant debris and death of bacteria.
 Use of antagonistic bacteria, neem cake, and organic matter as soil application.
 Maintain soil pH to neutral by liming.
 Avoid water stagnation and anaerobic conditions in the field.

35
  Light texture of soil and well-drained field reduces the disease incidence.
 Follow long crop rotation with cereals and non-solanaceous host.

2.7 Little Leaf (Phytoplasma)

Symptoms:
Characteristics symptoms are excessive shortening of the leaves. Numerous
leaves aggregated in each branch giving bushy appearance, shortening of internodes.

Phytoplasmal leaf deformation

Management
 Periodical spray of systemic insecticides is necessary to control vector.
 Uproot the severely infected plants and burn just before starting of spray
schedule.
 Avoid early transplanting before third week of August to escape leafhopper
population.
 During first sign of initial infection, spray tetracycline @ 100 ppm twice at 10-12
days interval to check the multiplication of phytoplasma in the host tissue.

3. CHILLI / CAPSICUM
3.1 Dieback and Anthracnose (Choanephora capsici, Colletotrichum capsici)

Symptoms:
Disease initiate on tender twigs from the apical top of the plant as necrosis and
withering. It progresses from tip to downward. Choanephora capsici rotted leaves and
twigs clearly show black sporangial structure over it. Symptoms on red fruits are more
commonly observed than green fruits. Small, irregular, sunken, light brown lesions were
observed on mature fruit. Fruit rot extends to the seed cavity making it internally seed
borne pathogen.

36
 Die back in chilli Choanephora on stem & leaf rot

Anthracnose infected chillies and close up.

Management
 Disease free seeds should be collected from healthy fruits.

 Screening of diseased fruits must be done after drying of the fruits.

 Seeds should be treated with carbendazim @ 0.25% during sowing.

 Seedling should be sprayed by carbendazim @ 0.1% before transplanting.

 Cut the rotting twigs along with healthy part and burn it.

 Foliar spray of copper oxychloride @ 0.3% followed by carbendazim @ 0.1% at

flowering stage.

 Avoid apical injury during transplanting and also at flowering stage.

 Collect all the green fruits of first setting and consume it. Do not keep these fruits
for seed purpose.

37
3.2 Bacterial Leaf Spot

Symtoms:
The disease is common from nursery stage to vegetative stage of plant growth.
Symptoms may appear any time up to first flowering. Very small, circular spot
surrounded by yellow halo mostly observed in leaves. Affected lower leaves become
yellow and fall down.

Bacterial leaf spot in chilli

Management
 One spray of streptocycline @ 150 ppm alternated with kasugamycin @ 0.2%.
 Seed dipping in streptocycline solution @ 100 ppm for 30 minutes.

3.3 White Rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)

Symtoms:
Soft, wet, water soaked rotting is observed on stem followed by white fungal
growth over it. Infected stem turns white after drying.

Sclerotinia rot of capsicum

38
Management
 Cut the infected plant parts along with some healthy portion in morning and
carefully collect in polythene to avoid falling of sclerotia in the field. Burn all
these materials away from field.
 Foliar spray of carbendazim @ 0.1% at flowering stage followed by mancozeb
@ 0.25%.

3.4 Leaf Blight (Alternaria alternata and Cercospora capsici)

Symptoms:
Disease is observed as circular to oblong spots with light gray to white gray
centers and dark brown margins. Small spots coalesce to each other in severe case and
leads to defoliation. Alternaria spots are dark brown, irregular and covered with a
grayish brown to black spores of the pathogens. In moist conditions, sporulation of both
pathogens was observed on the spots.

Cercospora leaf spots

Management
 One foliar spray of chlorothalonil @ 0.2% alternated by thiophenate-methyl@
0.1% after 8-10 days.
 Selections of disease free and certified seeds to check the primary infection.
 Foliar spray of Tricel @ 0.2% to maintain crop vigour at 10-12 days interval.
 Field sanitation by burning of infected crops debris followed by summer
ploughing.

3.5 Phytophthora leaf blight/ Fruit rot

Leaves first show small dark green spots that enlarge & become bleached. Infected fruits
initially develop dark, water soaked patches that become coated with white mold and
spores of the fungus and eventually rot. Fruits wither but remain attached to the plant.

39
 Phytophthora leaf blight and Fruit rot

Management
 Always use healthy and certified seeds collected from disease free area.
 Infected crop debris and fruits must be collected from the field and burnt.
 Preventive sprays of mancozeb@ 0.25% provide good control in cloudy, cold and
drizzling weather.
 One spray of metalaxyl+ mancozeb@0.2% is very effective when applied within
two days of infection but repetitive sprays should not be given.
 Staking of plant reduces the disease infection..
 Rotation, water management and drainage are the cultural methods.
 Avoid over cropping and high nitrogen.

3.6 Leaf Curl Complex (CMV and Gemini Virus)

Symtoms:
Chilli leaf curl complex is mainly due to CMV and gemini virus as well as mite
and thrips. Reduction in size of leaves, shortening of veins, puckering, mottling of the
leaves stunting and bushy appearance of the plant are symptoms of viral infection.

40
 Leaf curl symptoms

Management

 Root dipping of the seedlings in imidacloprid solution @ 4-5 ml per liter of water for
one hour during transplanting.

 Nursery should be grown in nylon net to check the vector infestation.

 Seed treatment with hot water at 500 C or 10% tri sodium phosphate solution for 25
minutes.

 Barrier crop of taller non-host crop like maize, bajra, sorghum.

 Collect healthy seeds from disease free plants.

 Periodical alternate spray of dicofal @ 0.25% with wettable sulpher @ 0.2% and one
to two spray of systemic insecticide.

 Use tolerant varieties

 Initial rouging of infected plants soon after infection and burn it.

3.7 Sun scald: It is a common physiological disorder and fruits facing direct sun rays
are affected by sun scald. The flesh becomes light, dry and papery on areas that had
direct sunlight on them and can cover up to one third of the fruit.

41
 Sun scald

Management
 Adequate fertility & proper water management will help to develop the canopy of
leaves & foliage required to protect the fruit from sun scald.
 Shade crop like Dhaincha can also be grown on border to protect the crop from
hot winds during summer.
 Poor foliage cover allows the defect to occur.
 Variety selection may play a role; compact plants may not provide cover as well
as more vigorous plants.

4. OKRA

4.1 Leaf Blight (Cercospora abelmoschi and C. hibisina)

The fungus causes no definite leaf spot but grow as sooty to dark olivaceous, ectoparasite
covering entire leaf lamina. Disease initiated as small isolated fungal growth on lower
side of leaf but very soon it spreads on both sides.

Black mould fungus on leaves

42
Management
 Two to three foliar spray of bitertanol @ 0.05% or difenconazole @ 0.025% or
hexaconazole or triadimefon @ 0.05% at 6 days interval.
 Spray should be started immediately after disease initiation; delay in spray
schedule will not give proper control due to very fast secondary infection rate.
 Okra sowing should be completed latest by first week of July.
 Collect the defoliated leaves and burnt in field itself to reduce the inoculums at
source.

4.2 Yellow Vein Mosaic (YVMV- Gemini virus)

Symptoms:
Characteristic symptoms appears as prominent yellow vein and vein lets having
green tissue interveinal area. Severely infected leaves some time become completely
golden yellow.

Yellow Vein Mosaic

Management
 Seed treatment with imidacloprid @ 5 ml per kg of seed.
 Use resistant variety
 Early sowing in last month of June to first week of July.
 Once or twice rouging of infected plants at initial stage of plant growth.
 Periodical spray of any safe systemic insecticide up to flowering stage.
 Removal of Malvaceous hosts around the field.

4.3 Enation Leaf Curl (ELCV)

Symptoms:
The plant becomes unable to bear its weight after viral infection. The stem and
leaf petiole are bent. Apical portion of plant developed into full of small, curl and
aggregated leaves. Floral part does not set the fruit. Fruit if sets then seeds are unfertile
and aborted.

43
 Apical leaf curling Twig bending by ELCV

Management
 Seed treatment with Imidacloprid @ 5 ml per kg of seed.
 Once or twice rouging of infected plants at initial stage.
 Use tolerant cultivars.
 One to two sprays of Abamectin @ 0.05% upto flowering stage.

4.4 Root Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita)

Symptoms:
Diesease appears as stunting of the plants, yellowish green of the plant, some time
drooping of the leaves. Clear symptoms are observed after uprooting of the plant where
roots are full of knots.

Management
 Apply neem cake @ 25 q/ha or saw dust @ 28 q/ha along with 120 kg nitrogen
before transplanting.
 Phorate or aldicarb @ 25 kg/ha should be applied if neem cake is not available.
 Crop rotation with cereals and low land paddy for at least 2 years.
 Summer ploughing for desiccation of nematode.
 Sowing of marigold is very effective for reduction in larval population.

5. LEGUMENOUS, VEGETABLES (PEA AND BEANS)

5.1 Root and Stem Rot (Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. pisi and
Rhizoctonia solani)

Symptoms:
Infection leads to drooping and wilting of plants at early stage of plant growth. In
pea, symptoms appear as vascular discoloration of stem and reddish appearance in the
pith extending towards roots. This is a characteristic symptom of Fusarium solani in pea.
Rhizoctonia infection in peas results dropping followed by wilting of the entire plants.
The bark of collar region and root portion develops complete rots and degenerate.
Symptoms appear on stem near the soil level and extend downward into the roots and

44
upward also. Later on as the lesions enlarge, they turn gray to ash colour at the centre
and numerous minute, black dot like fruiting body developed from the centre.

Management
 Long crop rotation with wheat and bajara.
 Field sanitation by uprooting and burning of all infected plants.
 Summer fallowing, ploughing accompanied with once irrigation followed by
again ploughing in summer to reduce the soil inoculum.
 Green manuring in June and July followed by soil application of Trichoderma
@ 5 kg/ha soon after ploughing of the sunhemp.
 Seed treatment with Trichoderma @ 0.6 to 1% depending upon soil and pathogen
status.
 Drenching of Trichoderma @ 1% suspension after 20 days of sowing in beans
only.
 Maintain proper drainage and aeration in the field.
 Balanced dose of fertilizers including micronutrients.
 Drenching of carbendazim @ 0.1% for immediate control.

5.2 Collar Rot (Sclerotium rolfsii)

Symptoms:
Characteristic symptoms are observed as white, fungus growth on affected portion
as well as on contact soil. Gradually the hyphal mat is converted into small, mustard like
sclerotia that survives in the soil.

Management
 Crop rotation with low land paddy and other cereals.
 Field sanitation by uprooting and burning of all infected plants.
 Summer fallowing, ploughing accompanied with once irrigation followed by
again ploughing in summer to reduce the soil inoculums.
 Green manuring in June and July followed by soil application of Trichoderma
@ 5 kg/ha soon after ploughing of the sunhemp.
 Seed treatment with Trichoderma @ 0.6 to 1% depending upon soil and pathogen
status.
 Remove all weeds from field.
 Drench Trichoderma @ 1% suspension after 20 days of sowing to reduce early
infection in beans.
 Drench copper oxychloride @ 0.3% near the collar region in evening for
immediate disease control in beans only.

45
5.3 Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe pisi)

Symptoms:
Diesease appears as white to light gray, powdery fungal spores on leaves, twigs,
tendrils and pods as pustules. Soon these pustules coalesce and cover all foliar part of
pea. Infection of pods leads partial filling of the grain and pod remain smaller in size.
Outer skin of infected pods becomes gray in colour and rough.

Powdery mildew on foliage

Management
 Avoid delay in sowing and must complete up to first fortnight of October.
 Always use tolerant cultivar like Pant P-9, NDVP-250, KS-245 and PMR-17 of
pea.
 Foliar spray of penconazole @ 0.025% of tridemorph @ 0.1% of dinocap @ 0.1%
at 5-7 days interval.
 Infected crop debris must be burnt after harvesting of pods.

5.4 Rust (Uromyces fabae, Uromyces pisi and U. phaseoli)

Symptoms:
Characteristic symptoms observed as minute, slightly raised pustules on all above
ground plant parts. Generally elongated pustules are seen on stem. Rust pustules are
never observed on pods of pea. These pustules on pea are distinct, faint yellow, circular
sori consist of numerous uredospores.

46
 Uredo pustules on pea stem Rust pustules on cowpea

Management
 Burning of infected crop debris is very effective for reduction of inoculum.
 Use rust tolerant cultivar of pea.
 Avoid delay in sowing of pea and must complete up to first fortnight of October.
 Fungicidal sprays should be done in critical period if an average of two pustules
per leaf observed in the field.
 Use flusilazole or hexaconazole @ 0.025 % or bitertanol @ 0.05% or
triadimephon @ 0.05% at interval of 5-7 days for effective control.

5.5 Leaf Blight (Pseudocercospora cruenta and Cercospora cruenta)

Symptoms:
Quick defoliation is characteristic feature of the disease, which leads to naked
stem and twigs on the plant. Symptoms of Cercospora are observed as small circular
brown spots with reddish margin. Aschochyta blight is severe disease of cowpea, French
bean and pea. Aschochyta paseolorum infects cowpea producing large, circular to
irregular brown spots with reddish margin on leaves.

47
 Pseudocercospora black leaf blight

Management
 Two to three foliar sprays of hexaconazole @ 0.025% or biteranol @ 0.05% or
difenconazole @ 0.025% at 6 days interval.
 Spray should be started immediately after disease initiation. Delay in spray
schedule may not give proper control due to very fast secondary infection rate.
 Avoid delay in sowing of kharif cowpea and it must be completed latest by last
week of June.
 Collect the defoliated leaves and burn in field itself to reduce the inoculum at
source.

5.6 Sclerotinia Blight (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)

Symptoms:
Very soon white fungus growth is observed on the rotted portion. Later on
embedded sclerotia in white mycelium formed on the infected portion as well as inner
portion of pith and fruits. Primary infection on pea and cow pea always starts from floral
infection followed by pods. Seeds converted into sclerotia.

Sclerotina rot in French bean

48
Management
 All infected part must be carefully collected and burnt before drying of the plants.
 Seed cleaning is essential to remove the sclerotial mixture during threshing and
processing.
 Deep ploughing, low land paddy with continuous stagnation of water reduces the
sclerotial population.
 Close planting and dense canopy of plant should be avoided.
 Remove all weeds particularly from the field.
 Fungicidal spray must be started at early bloom stage of flowering stage.
 Alternate spray of cabendazim @ 0.1% and mancozeb @ 0.25% at 7-10 days
interval is essential.

5.7 Bacterial Blight (Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (common blight); X.phaseoli
var. fuscans (Fuscous blight), Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola (Halo blight),
P. syringae pv. syringae (Brown spot blight).

Symptoms:
Disease is first seen as small translucent, water soaked spots on leaves.
Symptoms of common blight, fuscous blight and brown blight are difficult to
differentiate on the basis of symptoms except, isolation of casual organism. Small spots
appear on pods of different ages. Halo blight has most of the symptoms of common
blight along with a chlorotic halo.

Bacterial blight in cowpea

Management
 Crop rotation of about 2-3 years is sufficient to dispose off over wintering
bacteria.
 Field sanitation by burning of all the infected leaves and crop debris.

49
  Use of clean, disease free seed and tolerant varieties.
 Seed soaking in streptocycline solution @ 100 ppm for 30 minutes.
 Proper drainage should be maintained in the field to avoid water stagnation.
 Sowing time should be adjusted in such a way that fruiting stage should not
coincide with heavy rain period.

5.8 Cowpea Golden Mosaic (Viral disease)

Symptoms:
This is an aphid borne viral disease caused by poty virus while white fly
transmitted mosaic is Gemini virus. Symptoms appear as yellow and green mosaic
patches on the apical leaves. Later on most of the leaves become complete yellow.

Yellow mosaic of cowpea

Management
 Soil application of carbofuran @ 1.5 kg ai/ha during seed sowing.
 Use resistant lines like Arka Garima, Cowpea-263 and KS-10.
 Rouging of infected plants at initial stage.
 Foliar sprays of Abamectin @ 0.05% at 10 days interval up to flowering stage.

6. CUCURBITS

6.1 Anthracnose (Colletotrichum orbiculare & C. lagenarium)

Symptoms:
Disease on leave is observed as water soaked small yellow spots that enlarge and
turn to brown. The necrotic portion dries and shatters. Elongated water soaked, sunken
lesions appear on stem. Light yellow to brown discoloration of these stem lesions is due
to abundant sporulation.

50
 Anthracnose on leaves Anthracnose on fruits

Management
 Always seed should be collected from healthy fruits and disease free area.
 Seeds must be treated with carbendazim @ 0.25%.
 Field sanitation by burning of crop debris.
 Grow crop on bower system to avoid soil contact.
 Maintain proper drainage in the field.
 Seed production should be preferably carried out in summer season because
summer crop is often free from pathogen.
 Foliar sprays of carbendazim @ 0.1% or chlorothalonil @ 0.2% but spray must be
started soon after infection.

6.2 Downy Mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis)

Symptoms:
It appears as irregular, numerous, small, yellow areas surrounded by green tissues
scattered all over the leaf lamina. The yellow areas are angular and bounded by veins.
Symptoms on bitter gourd are light brown while grayish brown on pointed gourd without
prominent yellowing on these hosts. In high humid weather, faint white downy growth of
fungus is observed.

Yellow lesions on Cucumber leaf Brown lesions on bottle gourd

51
Management
 Crop should be grown with wide spacing in well-drained soil.
 Air movement and sunlight exposure helps in checking the disease initiation and
development.
 Bower system of cropping reduces the disease incidence.
 Field sanitation by burning crop debris to reduce the inoculums.
 Seed production should be preferably carried out in summer season because
summer crop is often free from disease.
 Use tolerant cucumber lines like Summer Prolific.
 Protective spray of mancozeb @ 0.25% at seven days interval gives good control.
 In severe case one spray of metalaxyl + mancozeb @ 0.2% may be given but it
should not be repeated.

6.3 Powdery Mildew (Sphaerotheca fuligena and Erysiphe cichoracearum)

Symptoms:
Disease appears on all foliar part as white to dull white, powdery growth quickly
covers most of the leaf surface and leads to heavy reduction in photosynthesis area.

Powdery mildew on bottle gourd

Management
 Foliar sprays of penconazole @ 0.05% or tridemorph @ 0.1% or carbendazim @
0.1%, give very good control of the disease.
 Use tolerant line.

52
6.4 Fruit Rots (Phytophthora cinnamomi, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Phomopsis cucurbitae)

Symptoms:
Disease is mostly observed on matured fruits as comparatively dry rotting with
characteristic pycnidia over it. Generally lower portion of fruits touching soil surface are
affected. P. cinnamomi is causing rotting of vines, leaves and fruits of pointed gourd,
Rhizoctonia fruit rot are most severe in muskmelon, while Phomopsis fruit rot an ash
gourd.

Pythium & Phytophthora rot on Sclerotium rot & Sclerotinia rot of bottle gourd
Bottle & pointed gourds vine (photo)

Phomopsis rot in ash gourd Sclerotium rot in ash gourd

53
Management
 Avoid soil contact of fruit by using bower system of cultivation and staking of
plant.
 Provide proper drainage in the field.
 Green manuring followed by soil application of Trichoderma @ 5 kg/ha in soil
is very effective in checking most of the fruit rotting.
 Collect affected fruits and burn them to reduce primary inoculum.

6.5 Gummy Stem Blight (Didymella bryoniae-teleomorph and Phoma cucurbitacearum

anamorph)

Symptoms:
This disease is now becoming severe in muskmelon, bottle gourd and sponge
gourd. Initially water soaked area are observed on the stem near soil line. Later on
translucent gum like exudates released from the affected portion is deposited over it.

Gummy stem lesions on muskmelon

Management
 Avoid exotic hybrids and varieties due to high degree of susceptibility.
 Summer ploughing and green manuring followed by Trichoderma application.
 Maintain proper drainage and aeration in the field.
 Seed treatment with carbendazim @ 0.25%.
 One drenching of carbendazim @ 0.1% near collar region.
 Avoid injury near collar region.

6.6 Leaf Spots (Cercospora citrullina, Alternaria cucumerina and Corynespora melonis,
Didymella bryoniae (teleomorph) and Phoma cucurbitacearum anamorph)

Symptoms:
Papery with rhythmic large spots followed by shot hole is observed in Didymella.
Black small dot like fruiting structures are also observed on the old spots. .

54
 Cercospora spot on bottle gourd Didymella blight on ash gourd

Management
 Field sanitation, selection of healthy seeds and crop rotation reduces disease
incidence.

 Fungicidal sprays of mancozeb @ 0.25% alternated with one spray of

hexaconazole @ 0.05%.

 Seed production should be preferably carried out in summer season because

summer crop is often free from disease.

6.7 Bacterial Wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila)

Symptoms:
Wilt is a common disease on cucumber, muskmelon, squash and pumpkin. The
first signs of wilt appear usually on individual leaves as drooping, which become flaccid
in sunny weather.

Sudden wilting in cucumber

55
Management
 Control of cucumber beetles at initial stage from the soil with neem cake or
systemic granular insecticides.
 Tolerant varieties with restricted use of exotic cucumber lines should be grown.
 Summer polughing of soil to expose all the stages of beetles.

7. COLE CROPS

7.1 Downy Mildew (Peronospora parasitica)

Symptoms:
Fine hair like downy growth of fungus is observed on the lower surface of leaves.

Necrosis with downy growth

Management
 Field sanitation, disease free seed and crop rotation reduce pathogen inoculum.
 Foliar spray of mancozeb @ 0.25% at disease initiation stage and repeat next
spray at 6-8 days interval.
 One spray for metalaxyl +mancozeb @ 0.2% in severe case may be given but do
not repeat.
 Use sticker @ 0.1% with fungicide to avoid runoff of droplets.

7.2 Alternaria Leaf Spot (Alternaria brassicae and A brassicicola)

Symptoms:
Alternaria leaf spot is usually appeared in early stage of plant growth in
cauliflower while in later stage in cabbage. Alternaria leaf spots are restricted to lower
leaves. Symptoms appear as circular light brown spots on leaves. Concentric rings are
clearly visible on the spots.

56
 Lesions on leaf Spots on cabbage & concentric ring

Management
 Alternaria leaf spot of cole crops is effectively managed by detaching all the
infected lower leaves in morning and then burning.
 Spray of chlorothalonil @ 0.2% along with sticker @ 0.1% in evening hour.
 Use disease free seeds from healthy crop.
 One spray of mancozeb @ 0.25% along with sticker during siliqua formation.

7.3 White Rot (Sclerotina sclerotiorum)

Symptoms:
Disease appears as water soaked rotting of curd, petiole, stalk and stump region of
the leaves. Cauliflower grown for seed production is severely effected by the disease and
entire inflorescence collapsed.

White rot in cabbage

57
Management
 Main crop of cauliflower and cabbage should be periodically observed near the
stump region in cool, cloudy and moist weather for primary infection.
 Cut the infected curds, leaves along with some healthy portion in morning and
carefully collect in polythene to avoid falling of sclerotia in the field. Burn all
these materials away from field.
 Foliar spray of carbendazim @ 0.1% at flowering stage, followed by spray of
mancozeb @ 0.25% along with sticker @ 0.1%.
 Spray must cover stump and lower region of leaves.

7.4 Bacterial Black Rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris)

Symptoms:
The disease often appears along the margins of leaves as chlorotic lesions and
chlorosis progresses in the direction of midrib usually forming V shaped area, which is
the most characteristic symptom of the disease.

Bacterial black rot in cabbage

Management
 Always collect seeds from disease free plants for next year use.
 Seed treatment with hot water (500 C for 30 minutes) or seed clipping in 100 ppm
antibiotic solution for 30 minutes.
 Crop rotation with non-cruciferous crops.
 Use intercrop of urd and mung as mulches to reduce rain splash.
 Detach the lower infected leaves in afternoon when dew and bacterial ooze dried
up form the leaves and then burn it.
 Nursery site should be changed frequently to avoid seedling infection.
 Use antagonistic bacteria in the soil.
 Spraying of antibiotic like streptocycline @ 150-200 ppm or kasugamycin @
0.2% at 10-15 days interval.
 Mixture of steptrocycline @ 100 ppm and copper oxycholoride @ 0.3% with
sticker @ 0.1% should be used if Alternaria infection also exists on the foliage
giving good control of both the diseases.

58
  The cauliflower variety Pusa Snowball K-1, Super Snowball and cabbage variety
Pusa Mukta possesses high degree of tolerance to black rot pathogen.

8. ONION AND GARLIC

8. 1 Damping Off (Phythium species, Rhizoctonia solani, F.oxysporum and F.

oxysporum f.sp.cepae)

Symptoms
Symptoms of this disease consist of seed rotting, pre-mergence damping-off and
post-emergence damping-off.

Management

Cultural Methods
 Soil solarization of nursery beds with transparent polyethylene sheet for 30 days
before sowing provides good control.

 Horticultural practices that minimize periods of excessive soil moisture, crop

rotation, land leveling, installing drains, sowing of clean and healthy seed on
raised beds are used to reduce seedling diseases. Overcrowding of plants or
dense sowing of onion seeds should be avoided

 Well decomposed farmyard manure should be used in nursery.

Biological Method
 Seed treatment with Trichoderma viride @4 g/kg seed followed by soil
application of T.viride @500 g multiplied in 50 kg farmyard manure/ ha.

Chemical Methods
 Using protectant fungicides such as thiram or captan @ 0.2% as seed dressing
before sowing.
 Drenching the nursery beds with captan or thiram @0.2% or carbendazim @
0.1% or copper oxychloride @0.3% in standing crop should be done.

8.2 Purple Blotch (Alternaria porri )

Symptoms:
Initially, small white sunken spots develop on the leaves. These spots enlarge,
become eye shaped under moist conditions, turn to purple and are surrounded by a broad
chlorotic margin.

59
Badly damaged leaves of onion Blotch infection on stem & umbel

Management

i) Cultural Methods
 Crop rotation with non-host crops; good drainage and use of recommended doses
of N and fertilizers reduce the disease incidence.
 Hot water soaking of onion seed (500 C for 20 minutes) proved to be the best
treatment for reducing purple blotch pathogen.

ii) Host Plant Resistance

 Onion varieties Agri found Light Red, Agrifound Dark Red, Red Globe and VL
Piyaz 3 are reported to be moderately resistant.

iii) Biological Methods

 Application of Trichoderma viride (1000 spores/ml), difenoconazole @ 0.8 ml/1
and covering crops with transparent polythene sheets inhibited growth of the
pathogen A. porti in the field.

iv) Chemical Methods

 Four sprays of mancozeb or chlorothalonil and 3 sprays of iprodione @ 0.25 % at
10 days intervals is effective in reducing the disease.
 A combination of mancozeb @0.25% + Abamectin @ 0.05% is effective in
controlling thrips as well as purple blotch.
 Heat treatment of onion bulbs at 350 C for 8 hours before planting and
prophylatctic spray of metalzxyl +mancozeb @0.25% gave good control in onion
seed crop.

60
8.3. Stemphylium Leaf Blight (Stemphylium vesicarium (Wallr.) Simmons)

Symptoms:
The disease symptoms are developed in the middle of the leaf as small yellow to
orange flecks or streaks, which soon develop into elongated, spindle shaped to ovate
elongate diffused spots surrounded by characteristic pinkish margin.

Stemphylium leaf blight

Management

Cultural Methods
 Sanitation of field and collecting and burning of crop refuse reduces the disease
incidence.
 Cultural control methods include long rotations with no-host crops.
 Good field drainage and reduced plant density.
 Hot water soaking of onion seed (500 C for 20 minutes) proved to be the best
treatment for reducing the pathogen of Stemphylium blight disease.

Host Plant Resistance

 Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum) lines are moderately resistant to Stemphylium
leaf blight.

Chemical Methods
 Three to four sprays of 0.25% mancozeb at 20 days interval starting at 60 days
after transplanting.
 However, mancozeb offers best control with higher cost benefit ratio.
 For Seed production, fortnightly sprays of 0.025% mancozeb or iprodione is
recommended.

61
8.4 Colletotrichum Blight/Anthracnose /Twister Disease (Collectotrichum
gloeosporioides)

Symptoms
The characteristic symptoms are curling, twisting, chlorosis of the leaves, and
abnormal elongation of neck (false stem). Initially pale yellow water soaked oval
sunken lesion appears on leaf blades, which increase lengthwise covering the whole leaf.

Anthracnose on leaves Curling & abnormal elongation of leaves

Management

Cultural Methods
 Sanitation and destruction and infected plant debris helps in reducing the disease.

Host Plant Resistance: The cultivars IPA 3, Belem, IPA 9, Franciscana IPA 10 and
Roxinha de Belem were found resistant.

Chemical Methods
 Application of benomyl@0.02% as soil treatment is recommended.
 Spraying of mancozeb@0.25% also gives good control of disease

8.5 Downy Mildew (Peronospora destructor (Berk). Casp.)

Symptoms:
The fungus causes both systemic and local infections. Plants raised form infected
bulbs are showing systemic infection, which remain stunted, distorted and pale in colour.

Management

Cultural Methods
 Bulbs used for seed production should be selected from healthy field. Crop
rotation for 3-4 years with no-host crop should be followed.
 Infected crop debris and refuse heaps of onion culled from storage should be
disposed properly.

62
  Late planting, poor drainage, higher doses of fertilizers and frequent irrigation
should be avoided as these practices encourage high disease incidence.

Host Plant Resistance

 Onion lines IC-48045, IC-32149, IC-49371 and DOP-2 have been reported
resistant to downy mildew.

Chemical Methods
 Spraying of mancozeb@0.25% and ziram@0.1% at 10-12 days interval is
recommended.
 Bulb and seedling dip in Ridomil MZ @ 0.25% for 12 hours followed by 2 foliar
sprays of the same gives effective disease control.

8.6. Fusarium Basal Rot / Basal plate Rot (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp cepaae).

Symptoms:
. The roots may turn pink and gradually decay until the entire root disappears.

Rotting of onion in field Fusarial infection on bulbs

Management

Cultural Methods
 Crop rotation for 4-5 years with non-host crop has been found effective in
eliminating the disease.
 Mixed cropping with tobacco and sorghum is effective in reducing the disease.
 Good drainage, deep ploughing in hot summer and avoiding injury during cultural
practices reduces the disease incidence.
 Satisfactory control of basal rot can be achieved by flooding the soil in the non-
growing season.

Host Plant Resistance

 Three lines viz. IIHR 141, IIHR 506 and Sel 13-1-1 consistently resistant to
Fusarium oxysporium in the field in different growing seasons.

63
Biological Methods
Trichoderma spp., Pseudomonas fluorescence and Bacillus subtilis have been found
effective against F. oxysporum under in vitro conditions.

 Combined seed treatment of T. viride +P. fluorescence reduced onion basal rot
incidence both in pot and field conditions.

Chemical Methods
 Dipping onion sets in benomyl, carbendazim, thiram and difolatan @ 0.2%
controls pink root, basal rot and neck rot of onion.
 Spraying of carbendazim @0.1% at 30, 20 and 10 Days before harvest gave the
lowest loss of yield due to delay after 5 months of storage.

8.7. White Rot (Sclerotium cepivorum Berk)

Symptoms:
Initial symptoms are yellowing and dying back of leaf tips. Roots are normally
destroyed and there is a semi watery decay with abundance of superficial white fluffy
mycelium. Brown or black sclerotia develop on the surface or within tissue.

Sclerotial rot in onion bulbs

Management

Cultural Methods
 Production should be confined to areas known to be free from disease.
 Crop rotation should be followed.
 When white rot incidence is low, infected plant may be destroyed and the soil
around these plants should be treated.
 Hot water treatment of bulbs at 490 C gives effective control.
 Solariztion of soil at high temperature i,e. 350 C for 18 hours or 450 C for 6 hours
reduces the disease incidence by 50-70%.

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Biological Methods
 Trichoderma viride, Glyocladium zeae, Coniothyrium minitans, Penicillium
nigricans, Bacillus subtilis and T. harzianum have been reported as prominent
antagonists for control of white rot.

Chemical Methods
 Iprodione (Rovral)@0.25% was found effective. Benomyl @0.1% was also
reported to be good in controlling the diseases.

8.8. Pink Root (Phoma (Pyrenochaeta) terrestris, Fusarium solani)

Symptoms:
The affected roots turn yellow, shrived and die, meanwhile taking on a distrinct
pink colour. The new roots, which grow form the infected plants, get immediatley
infected and become functionless. The disease is confined to the root only.

Pink rot due to Phoma

Management

Host Resistance
Allium fistulosum and some garlic lines are resistance to pink root. Cultivars reported to
be pink root resistance may not prove resitant in all situaitons.

Cultural Methods
Soil solarizaiton reduce pink root incidence. It has been observed that early sowing
resulted in a higher disease incidence than late sowing. Long rotations with non-host
crop should be followed.

Chemical Methods
Many workeers have reported soil fumigation and use of fungicides but it is
uneconomical at field level. After chemical control in field conditions pathogen
population reduce early in the season but later returned to normal.

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8.9. Black Mold (Aspergillus niger Van Tieghem. A. fumigatus (green mold) and A
alliaceus)

Symptoms: It causes post harvest blemishes and rotting of onion grown and stored in
hot climate.

Black mold (Aspergillus sp)

Management

Cultural Methods
 Storage of seed and bulb should be done after proper drying.
 Bruising should be avoided when bulbs area harvested, stored or transported.
 Onion should be stored at 1-150 C.
 The presence of calcium in onion tissue plays an important role in resistance to
the disease.

Chemical Methods
 Dusting of topped onion with calcium carbonate reduced post harvest bulb rotting
by 16 to 17%. During transit, black mold can be reduced if the containers are
fumigated with nitrogen tri chloride@430 mg / m3

8.10. Bacterial Rots

i) Brown Rot (Pseudomonas aeruginosa),
ii) Soft Rot (Erwinia carotovora pv. carotovora (Jones) Bergey, and
iii) Slippery Skin (Pseudomonas allicola)

Symptoms:
Bacterial decay of onion is widely distributed in warm climate and cause severe
problems.

66
Management
 Grow the crop under optimum condition of tilth, fertilizer, drainage, crop rotation
and freedom from weeds.

 It is necessary to dry the crop quickly after harvest.

 During rainy season, artificial curing is required.

 Chemicals like streptocycline were found somewhat effective in the control of

bacterial diseases.

8.11 Viral Diseases (Transmitted by various aphid species or mechanically to onion)

i) Onion Yellow Dwarf Virus

Symptoms:
The first symptoms appear on the youngest leaves, which turn pale and develop
yellow streaks at the base of the leaves. Leaves may crinkle and flop over. Symptoms
are more pronounced on leaves that develop form an infected bulb or transplant.

Management
 No effective control measure is available.

 Plant virus free transplants and crop rotation of at least three years should be
followed.

 Rouging of diseased plants and isolation from other susceptible crops or volunteer
onions is advised.

 Spraying of insecticides to control aphids minimizes secondary spread.

ii) Iris Yellow Spot Virus

Symptoms:
It is caused by the tospovirus similar to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. Iris yellow
spot symptoms first appear as straw-coloured, dry, tan, spindle or diamond-shaped
lesions, with or without distinct green centers with yellow or tan borders on leaves.

67
 Diamond shaped viral lesions

Management
 Plant high quality transplants free from thrips and Iris yellow spot virus. Practice
three year or longer rotation between onion crops.

 Eliminate volunteers, culls, and weeds in and around onion field.

 Sprinkler irrigation can provide some suppression of thrips and disease.

 Avoid thin, patchy stands and crop stress.

 Thrips control may provide some reduction in iris yellow spot, but thrips control
alone is not sufficient to economically control the disease.

9. LEAFY VEGETABLES

9.1 Leaf Spots (Cercospora sp. and Aternaria sp.)

Symptoms:
Symptoms appear as light brown, circular spots, surrounded by red margin. The red
circular halo is not prominent in many vegetables except spinach.

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 Cercospora spot in spinach

Management
 Avoid dense sowing of spinach.
 Collect lower leaves and burn it.
 Only one spray of chlorothalonil @ 0.2%.

9.2 White Rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiroum)

Symptoms:
Symptoms appear as water soaked rotting of petioles, stump region and cover
portion of the leaves.

Sclerotinia rot on celery

69
Management
 Cut the infected curds, leaves along with some healthy portion in morning and
carefully collect in polythene to avoid falling of sclerotia in the field. Burn all
these materials away from field.
 Main crop should be periodically observed near the stump region in cool, cloudy
and moist weather for primary infection.
 Foliar spray of carbendazim @ 0.1% followed by spray of mancozeb @ 0.25%
along with sticker @ 0.1%.
 Spray must cover stump and lower portion of leaves.

10. RADISH

10.1 Alternaria blight (Alternaria raphani)

Symptoms:
Symptoms appear as small circular dark, black spots on the leaves while irregular,
oval to elongated lesions on siliqua and inflorescence.

Leaf spot on radish Infection on pod

Management
 Collect disease free seed from healthy crop.
 Seed treatment by captan @ 0.25%.
 Pluck the infected lower leaves form main root crops in February and burn it .
 One spray of mancozeb @ 0.25% after breaking the leaves.
 One spray of mancozeb @ 0.25% during siliqua formation.

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11. CARROT

11.1 White Rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)

Symptoms:
Disease appears as water soaked rotting of stalk, stump and collar region
engulfing lower portion of the leaves.

Collar infection of Sclerotinia Sclerotinia carrot rot

Management
 Crop rotation with low land paddy and other cereals.
 Field sanitation by uprooting and burning of all infected plants and weeds.
 Summer fallowing, ploughing accompanied with once irrigation followed by
again ploughing in summer.
 Green mannuring in June and July followed by soil application of Trichoderma @
5 kg/ha soon after ploughing of the sunhemp.
 Seed treatment with Trichoderma @ 0.6 to 1% depending.

11.2 Collar Rot (Sclerotium rolfsii)

Symptoms:
Routing covers entire root along with stump and leaves of the plant near collar
region. Characteristics symptoms observed as white, cottony, fungal growth on root.

Management
 Crop rotation with low land paddy and other cereals.
 Field sanitation by uprooting and burning of all infected plants and weeds.
 Summer fallowing, ploughing accompanied with once irrigation followed by
again ploughing in summer.
 Green manuring in June and July followed by soil application of Trichoderma @
5 kg/ ha soon after ploughing of the sunhemp.
 Seed treatment with Trichoderma @ 0.6 to 1% depending

71
 Sclerotium carrot rot

12. Elephant Foot Yam

12.1 Collar Rot (Sclerotium rolfsii)

Symptoms:
Initially yellowing of the plant was observed and later on plant toppled down
before maturity of Rhizomes. Characteristics symptoms observed as white, cottony,
fungal growth and sclerotia on affected portion as well as on contact soil.

Toppling of foliage by collar rot

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Management
 Remove all the sclerotia from apical portion of rhizome during planting.
 Crop rotation with low land paddy and other cereals.
 Field sanitation by uprooting and burning of all infected plants.
 Summer fallowing, ploughing accompanied with once irrigation followed by
again ploughing to germinate and desiccate the soil borne sclerotial inoculum.
 Green manuring in June and July followed by soil application of Trichoderma
@ 5 kg/ha soon after ploughing of the sunhemp.
 Rhizome dipping in Trichoderma @ 1% solution for 20 minutes.
 Remove all the weeds from field.
 Drenching of Trichoderma @ 1% suspension after 25 and 40 days of sowing.
 Drench copper oxychloride @ 0.3% followed by carbendazim @ 0.1% in evening
near the collar region for immediate control.

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RECOMMENDED IPM PRACTICES FOR IMPORTANT VEGETABLE CROPS

1. Tomato

Nursery
 Raise marigold (Tall African variety golden age bearing yellow and orange flower)
nursery 15-20 days before tomato nursery.
 Prepare raised nursery beds about 10 cm above ground level for good drainage to
avoid damping off.
 Cover the beds with polythene sheet of 45 gauge (0.45 mm) thickness for three
weeks before sowing for soil solarisation for reducing the soil borne pests.
Sufficient moisture should be present in the soil.
 Seed treatment with Trichoderma viride @ 4g/kg of seed in nursery to prevent
infection of soil borne/seed borne fungal 1 kg of FYM. Mix in 1m2. It can be
applied even in main field.
 Spray nursery with if insect is noticed.
 Spray Dithane M 45 or Ridomyl against Downy mildew as this disease is generally
seen in nursery.

Main crop
 Showing of resistant cultivar (Fruit borer-Avinash-2, Bacterial wilt- Arka Abha,
Arka Alok, Shakti, Arka Abhijit, Arka Shreshta, Leaf Curl-Parbhani, Yeshree,
H.24; Root knot nematodes, Hissar Anmol, SL 120, Pusa hybrid 2; powdery
mildew- Arka Ashish, Early Blight-Devgiri, Fusarium wilt-Pant Bahar).
 Before transplanting dip the roots of seedlings for 15 minutes in imidacloprid @ 0.3
ml/litre for management of aphids, white fly & leaf miner.
 Transplant a row of marigold after every 16 rows of tomato as a trap crop. Marigold
should be 15 days older than tomato plants so that they flower at the same time.
Maximum egg laying by borer is observed on marigold flowers. First and last row
of plots should be marigold and it should be sprayed with HaNPV.
 Adopt wide spacing of 60 x 45 cm (for varieties) and 90x 60 cm (for hybrids) to
reduce the chance of spread of diseases.
 Apply neem cake @ 250 kg/ha at 20 DAP to reduce fruit borer, leaf miner and
nematode.
 Bird perches @ 10/ acre should be erected for facilitating field visits of predatory
birds.
 Spray of 5% NSKE at 15 DAP has also been found to be effective against leaf-
miner & white fly. Spray imidacloprid or thiomethoxam at 15 DAP for leaf miner &
white fly control, if needed.
 Pheromone traps @ 5/ ha be installed for monitoring fruit borer activity. Replace
the lures with fresh lures after every 20-25 day interval. ETL for fruit borer is 8
to10 moths /day/trap.
 Monitor top three leaves for Helicoverpa eggs.
 Release of T. chilonis, T. braziliensis and T. pretiosum @ 1.0 lakh/ha 4-5 times
from flower initiation stage at weekly intervals for fruit borer.

74
  Spray HaNPV 250 LE/ha (2 x 109 POB) + 1% jaggery along with sticker 0.5 ml/
liter 3 times at 28, 35 and 42 DAP during evening to reduce borer damage.
 Regular collection & destruction of damaged fruits i.e. clean cultivation helps in
management of borer effectively.
 If the borer incidence crosses ETL (5% damage), apply emmamectin benzoate
(proclaim) or indoxacarb.
 Rouge out and destroy leaf-curl and wilt affected plants.
 Spray 0.02% chlorothalonil /mancozeb/captan @ 1.25-1.5 kg a.i./ha in 700 L of
water for the control of early and late blight. Repeat after 10 days if necessary.
 If red spider mite is noticed, spray neem soap or neem oil (0.1%) or any acaricide
like Dicofol 18.5 EC (1.5 ml/l) or Ethion EC (1.5 ml/l) or sulphur 80 WP (3g/l).

2. Brinjal

Nursery
 Always prepare raised nursery beds about 10 cms above ground level for good
drainage to avoid damping off etc.
 Cover the nursery beds with polythene sheet of 45 gauge (0.45 mm) thicknesses for
three weeks during June for soil solarisation which will help in reducing the soil
borne insects, diseases like bacterial wilt and nematodes. However, care should be
taken that sufficient moisture is present in the soil for its solarisation.
 Mix 250 gm of fungal antagonist Trichoderma viride in 3.00 kg of FYM and leave
for about seven days for enrichment of culture. After seven days mix in the nursery
soil in a bed of 3 sq. meters.
 Seed of popular high yielding hybrid like F1- 321 be sown in beds in the first week
of July and properly mix in soil for healthy nursery raising. Before sowing, seed be
treated with T. viride @ 4 gm/ kg seed. Weeding should be done from time to time
and infected seedlings should be rogued out from the nursery.

Main crop
 Bird perches @ 10/ acre should be erected for facilitating field visits of predatory
birds.
 Delta traps @ 2-3/ acre should be installed for hoppers, aphids and white fly etc.
 Give two to three sprays of 5 % NSKE against leaf hoppers, aphids and mites.
Sprays of NSKE also brings down the borer incidence significantly. Neem oil (2%)
application is also helpful in reducing borer infestation, though marginally. If
incidence of leaf hopper and other sucking insect pests is still above ETL, then
apply imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 150 ml/ha.
 Pheromone traps @ 5/ acre should be installed for monitoring and mass trapping of
shoot & fruit borer Leucinodes orbonalis. Replace the lures with fresh lures after
every 15-20 days.
 Release egg parasitoid T. chilonis @ 1.0 – 1.5 lakh/ ha for shoot & fruit borer, 4-5
times at weekly interval.
 Apply neem cake @ 250 kg/ ha (in two splits) in soil along the plant rows at 25 and
60 days after transplanting and give light covering with soil. This will be highly

75
 helpful in reducing nematodes and borer damage. Don’t apply neem cake when
there is heavy wind velocity or temperature is above 300C.
 Clipping of borer damaged shoots and collection & destruction of damaged fruits
i.e. clean cultivation helps in management of borer and phomosis disease
effectively.
 If the borer incidence crosses ETL (5% fruit infestation), then apply cypermethrin
25 EC @ 200 g a.i/ha (0.005%) or carbaryl 50 WP @ 3 g/litre of water.
 Continuous cropping of brinjal leads to more borer and wilt infestation. Therefore,
crop rotation with non-solanaceous crops should be followed.
 Periodically collect and destroy the egg masses, larvae and adults of beetle.
 Rogue out the little leaf affected plants from time to time. Use of green manure,
mulching with polythene, soil application with bleaching powder will reduce the
infection of bacterial wilt disease.

3. Cabbage / Cauliflower

Nursery
 Prepare raised nursery beds about 10 cm above ground level for good drainage to
avoid damping off or raise seedlings in Protrays in nursery under net house
conditions wherever such facility is available.
 Cover the beds with polythene sheet of 45 gauge (0.45 mm) thickness for three
weeks before sowing for soil solarisation for reducing the soil borne pests.
Sufficient moisture should be present in the soil.
 Seed treatment with Trichoderma viride @ 4g/kg of seed in nursery to prevent
infection of soil borne/seed borne fungal 1 kg of FYM. Mix in 1m2. It can be
applied even in main field.
 Spray nursery with Bt formulation (1ml or 1gm/l) at 10 days after sowing.
 Spray Dithane M 45 or Ridomyl against downy mildew as this disease is generally
seen in nursery.
 Spray indoxacarb 14.55 SC (0.5 ml/l) or novbaluron (0.75 gm/l) or quinalphos (1.5
ml/l) a day before transplanting seedling to control stem borer and early infestation
of DMB.

Main crop
 Sowing of resistant varieties (Downy mildew-stone head, Black rot-Puksa Drum
Head, Pusa mukta, K-1, Aphids-All season, Red Drum Head).
 Growing of two rows of mustard after every 25 rows of cabbage as a trap crop at the
time of planting. This traps 80-90% of DBM population and other pests. Mustard be
sprayed with Dichlorovos 0.1% as soon as it germinates. (One row of mustard is
sown 15 days before cabbage planting and second 25 days after planting of cabbage.
Ensure that first and last row of plot are also mustard.
 Adopt wide spacing of 60 x 45 cm to reduce the chance of spread of diseases.
 Use light traps for adult DBM @3 traps/acre. Hang a bulb over a bucket of water.
Within 3-4 days most of the adults get killed.
 Spray Bt (1 g/litre) if DBM 1.0/plant is noticed early or Spray NSKE 5% at primordia
formation (18-25 DAP- head initiation stage - most critical stage). Repeat if DBM is

76
 > 1/plant at 10-15 days interval. Maximum of 3-4 NSKE sprays in one crop season
are required. When NSKE are sprayed, thorough coverage of the entire plant surface
is must.
 Release egg parasitoid Trichogrammatoidea bactrae at 0.5-0.75 lack/ha 3-4 times at
weekly interval. (optional)
 For controlling Spodoptera mechanically collect and destroy gregarious young larvae
and set up traps for mass trapping. However to control grown up caterpillar, do
baiting with methomyl in rice grain / wheat grain (10 kg), Jaggery (2 kg) and
insecticide formulation 250gm/ acre.
 Periodically remove and destroy disease affected leaves.
 If required, spray chlorothalonil/Mancozeb for Alternaria and Blitox + streptomycin
for black rot. Wider spacing (60 x 50 cm) will almost eliminate any disease spread.

4. Okra (Lady’s finger)

 Deep summer ploughing to expose resting stages of the pests
 Sowing of YVMV resistant hybrids viz.Makhmali, Tulsi, Anupama-1 and Sun-40
etc. especially during kharif season the crop.
 Grow maize/sorghum on borders as a barrier/trap crop for the entry of shoot & fruit
borer adults.
 Set up yellow sticky and delta traps for white fly etc.
 Erection of bird perches @ 10/acre in the field for facilitating bird predation.
 Give two to three sprays of NSKE @ 5% alternating with sprays of pesticides, if
needed, for leaf hopper, white fly, mites and aphids etc. Leaf hopper, if crosses ETL
(5 hoppers/plant), spray imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 150 ml/ha. This will be effective
in controlling other sucking pests as well.
 Install pheromone traps @ 2/ acre for monitoring of Earias vittella moth
emergence. Replace the lures after every 15-20 day interval.
 Release egg parasitoid like, Trichogramma chilonis @ 1-1.5 lakh/ ha starting from
30-35 days after sowing, 4-5 times at weekly interval for shoot & fruit borer.
 Rogue out the YVMV affected plants, if any, from time to time.
 Periodically remove and destroy the borer affected shoots and fruits
 Need based application of chemical pesticides viz .imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 150
ml/ha or Propargite etc. 57EC @ 0.1 % for control of leaf hoppers, aphids, white
flies, borers and mites. Shoot & fruit borer, if crosses ETL (5.3 per cent damaged
fruits), spray cypermethrin 25 EC @ 200 g a.i/ha (0.005%) or quinalphos 25 EC @
0.05% or emmamectin benzoate (proclaim) 5% (WDG) @ 0.25 g/litre or
indoxacarb 14.5 SL @ 500 ml/ha

5. Chilli and Capsicum

Nursery
 Prepare raised nursery beds about 10 cm above ground level for good drainage to
avoid damping off etc.
 Cover the beds with polythene sheet of 45 gauge (0.45 mm) thickness for three
weeks before sowing for soil solarisation which will help in reducing the soil borne
pests. Sufficient moisture should be present in the soil for solarisation.

77
  Mix 150 gm of fungal antagonist T. harzianum (c.f.u. 2 x 109/gm) in 3 kg of FYM
and leave for about seven days for enrichment. After 7 days mix in the soil in a bed
of 3 sq. m.
 Treat the seeds of popular hybrids with T. viride @ 4 gm/ kg.
 To avoid fungal diseases like damping off in nursery, drench soil with any copper
fungicide like copper oxy chloride (Blue copper) @ 3 g/litre of water during 2 nd or
third week after sowing.
 Erect khaskhas shading/support on one side of nursery beds to avoid the exposure to
cold/frost during winter (December-January). Cover the beds with polythene sheets
at nights to avoid frost injury. However, remove the sheets during day time to
expose them to sun.

Main crop
 At the time of planting, dip the seedlings in Pseudomonas fluorescens solution @ 5
ml/litre for two minutes.
 Erect bird perches @ 10/ acre for facilitating field visits of predatory birds.
 Install delta sticky traps @ 2/acre for hoppers, aphids and white fly etc.
 Need based spray of commercial neem product/NSKE 5% against aphids, thrips,
hoppers and white fly etc. Spray NSKE 5% 2-3 times against thrips at 15-20 days
after transplanting (DAT) when rating is between 1-2. This will reduce the population
substantially. If the population of thrips & white fly is still high, then spray spinosad
or fipronil or imidacloprid @ 0.5 ml/l or Acephate @ 2ml/l.
 Spray vertimec for mites occurrence
 Erection of pheromone traps @ 5/ ha for Helicoverpa sp/ Spodoptera litura for
monitoring of adults for egg laying.
 Periodic releases of egg parasitoid, Trichogramma sp @ 1.5 lakh/ ha for fruit borer
(Helicoverpa sp.)
 Spray of HaNPV 250 LE/ha 2-3 times at 60 DAP or in initial stages or as and when
needed.
 Spray of biopesticide like proclaim 5% (WDG) @ 0.25 gm/litre or spinosad @ 0.6
ml/L when larvae are small. Apply these biopesticides preferably during evenings.
 Spray of chemical insecticide like indoxacarb 14.5 SP @ 500 ml/ha or fenvalerate
@ 100 a.i /ha during initiation of flowering to podding stage for fruit borer,
Helicoverpa sp is effective
 Periodic removal and destruction of damaged fruits due to borer or fruit rot.
Destruction of crop residues/debris will reduce the carry over load of many insect
pests. After harvest crop will be immediately ploughed in the field.
 Rouging out and destroying of leaf-curl disease/mosaic complex affected plants
periodically.
 Spray 0.02% mancozeb/captan for managing the leaf blight & fruit rot. Proper water
management & drainage reduce the incidence effectively.
 Adequate fertility & proper water management will help develop the canopy of leaves
& foliage required to protect the fruit from sun scald. Sometimes a shade crop like
Dhaincha can also be grown as border line.

78
6. Cucurbitaceous crops
1. Collection and distruction of infected fruits/vines
2. Deep ploughing of field after the crop harvest to will the pupae.
3. Earthing up of the soil around the vine to expose the pupae for desiccations and
predation by birds.
4. Soil application of neem cake @ 250 kg/ha after germination and repeat once at
flowering.
5. Plant maize as a border crop seven days before sowing.
6. Management of leaf miner by i) remvoval of cotyledon leaves infected with leaf
miner one week after germination ii) followed by spraying of neem seed powder
extract @ 4% or neem soap @ 1% reduces the incidence of leaf miner.
7. Spray neem seed powder extract 4% or neem soap or pomgamia soap @ 1% or
carbaryl @ 3gm/l or Indoxacarb 0.5 ml/l or Dimethoate 30 EC Sulphur @ 30 g/l
after flowering at 10 days interval.
8. Crush pumpkin 1 kg and add 100 gm jaggery and 10 ml malathion and keep in the
plot (4-6 places per acre). Adults are attracted to the fermenting pumpkin and lay
eggs and get killed. Repeat the process 2-3 times in a cropping season.
9. Erect pheromone traps cuelure @ 3 traps / ac and change after 60 days.

Pheromone application technique for the management of fruit fly in

cucurbits

Male Annihilation Technique (MAT)

5x5 cm2 wooden blocks soaked in solution of 6:4:1 ethanol : methyl eugenol :
malathion for 48 hours hung @ 10/ha

Bait Application technique (BAT)

Spray liquid of 0.1% insecticide and 10% jaggery or 10% ripe banana at 200
spots/ha

7. Onion/ Garlic
 Do seed treatment with thiram (2g/kg seed) to control seed and soil borne diseases
in nursery.
 Apply Trichoderma viridae@5 kg/ha mixed with FYM to main field as well as in
nursery.
 Surround the onion plots (at least 250 sq. m.) with two rows of maize planted 30
days before planting onion to block the thrips to enter onion plants.
 Avoid planting onion during peak incidence of thrips.
 Seedling root dip with carbosulfan for 2 ha should be done before planting to
protect the plants during initial stages whenever late planting is done.
 Grow the crop on raised beds and provide proper drainage during kharif season to
minimize disease incidence.
 Thrips and foliar disease can effectively controlled by spraying carbosulfan
(2ml/l) +Carbendazim (2.5 g/l) + sticker (0.7 ml/l); Profenofos (1ml/l)
+Mancozeb (2.5 g/l) +sticker (0.7 ml/l); Cypermethrin (60 g ai/ha) + Chlorthaloni
(2.5 g/l) + sticker (0.7 ml/l) in rotation.

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  Bulbing stage (45-75 days) is crucial for thrips management and needs chemical
intervention.
 Never use same pesticide repeatedly.

MANAGEMENT OF NEMATODES IN PROTECTED VEGETABLE CROPS:

Nature of damage due to different nematodes under polyhouse conditions is

similar to the crops grown under open conditions. Root knot nematodes, Meloidogyne
incognita, reniform nematodes, Rotylenchulus reniformis and lesion nematodes,
Pratylenchus sp. are the major nematodes attacking horticultural corps under protected
conditions. They feed on the roots devitalizing the plants ultimately affecting both
qualitative and quantitative production. All of them may be managed by following the
integrated management as follows.

Management
 If the beds are highly infested with the nematodes bring down the population of
nematodes by applying neem/pongamia cake @ 500 g + Carbofuran @ 50 g/
sq. m.
 Treat the seeds with bio –pesticide-Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg seed.
 Raise the seedling in the coco-peat or any substrate by treating it P. fluorescens @
1kg+ T. harzianum @ 1kg + neem or pongamia cake @ 50 kg/ton.
 Treat the bed with neem or pongamia cake @ 50g T. harzianum @ 25 g or
Pochonia chlamydosporia + Paecilomyces lilacinus @ 25 g/sq. m at an interval of
2 months.
 Apply 2 tons of farm yard manure enriched with bio-pesticide-Trichodrma
harzianum per acre before planting, along with 100-200 kg of neem or pongamia
cake.
 Apply Carbofuran 3 G @ 1kg ai/ha at planting and repeat after 45 days.

Source / Courtesy

Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Indian Institute of Horticulture

Research, Bangalore, NRC (O & G) , Rajgurunagar, Pune, NRC ( C ) Nagpur, CISH,
Rehmankhera, Lucknow, NCIPM, New Delhi.

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