Integrated management of mealy bugs in custard apple.

摘要

A field trial was carried out at the custard apple [Annona reticulata] hot spot area, Shapur village, in Junagadh, Gujarat, India, during 2006/07-2007/08, involving 3 integrated pest management modules tested against mealy bug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus) in custard apple. Module I comprises ground digging (first digging at flowering stage and repeated after one month), removal of custard apple seedling grown on the ground, pruning of branches attached to the ground and banding of stem at the bottom with polyethylene sheet (30 cm wide) pasted by grease. Module II consists of removal of custard apple seedling grown up on the ground, flood irrigation at flowering stage and ground dusting with methyl parathion [parathion-methyl] 2% dust at 25 kg/ha. Module III consists of ground dusting with methyl parathion 2% dust at 25 kg/ha, stem spraying with methyl parathion 0.5% (50EC) and foliar application of quinalphos 0.05% (25EC) immediately after appearance of mealybug crawlers on shoot, followed by spraying of triazophos (40EC) 0.04% after 15 days. These were compared with an untreated control. Among the 3 modules, significantly the minimum population of mealy bug on fruit was recorded in module III (1.06 mealy bug/cm2), followed by module II (1.60 mealy bug/cm2) and module I (2.32 mealy bug/cm2). The fruit damage by mealy bug was observed from 45 DAT and it was significantly low in all the 3 modules compared to the untreated control. The same trend of fruit damage was observed at subsequent periods. Pooled data indicated that fruit damage was lowest in module III (18.3%), followed by module II (27.5%) and module I (33.5%).