Diseases and pests of food plants

Diseases and pests of Tropical Tasar food plants

Stem canker

Symptoms: Tumour like growth on Terminalia tomentosa twigs increases in size and bursts into ugly ulcers

Management: Heavy pruning and burning of infested twigs, dressing of cut ends with Bordeaux paste after pruning, spraying with Zincop (0.3%).

Safe Period: 1-2 weeks

Leaf curl

Symptoms: Crinkling of leaf surface in Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia tomentosa

Management: Heavy pruning and burning of infested twigs, dressing of cut ends with Bordeaux paste after pruning, spraying with Zincop (0.3%).

Safe Period: 1-2 weeks

Root rot

Causal organism: Gauoderma lucidum

Symptoms: Affects roots of Terminalia tomentosa  and Shorea robusta. Roots decompose and die. Poorly developed lateral roots become long spreading with age and spread infection.

Management: Burning of dead plants. Digging of isolation trenches (1.5x0.7 x0.3 m) to isolate healthy from infected tracts

Safe Period: 1-2 weeks

Stem borer (Sphenopiera Konbierensis)

Symptoms: Larvae bore into Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia tomentosa shoots killing the branches.

Management: Plugging with cotton soaked in petrol/kerosene oil/EDCT and pasting with mud. Light traps for adults.

Safe Period: 1-2 weeks

Gall fly (Phyllopecta hirsute and Trioza spp.)

Symptoms: Young flies produce ugly galls on Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia tomentosa foliage

Management: Dimecron (0.03%) or Rogor (0.5%) spray

Safe Period: 1-2 weeks

Termites (Microtermes odontotermes and Trinervitermes spp.)

Symptoms: Attack the food plants at all stages of growth.

Management: Termites should be unearthed and destroyed by pouring crude oil emulsion. Aldrin dust (5%) should be mixed with soil at 20kg/ha.

Safe Period: 1-2 weeks

May-June beetle (Anomala spp.)

Symptoms: Feeds on leaves of food plants

Management: Optimum tillage operations and soil application of aldrin dust (5%) at 20 kg/ha.

Safe Period: 1-2 weeks