Learn about the pests that damage fruits and its control.
1. Pomegranate Butterfly, Deudorix Isocrates (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae):
The caterpillars of the Anar butterfly cause such a heavy damage to the fruits that this pest alone is responsible for the failure of pomegranate crop in certain areas. This insect is widely distributed all over India and the adjoining countries. It is a polyphagous pest having a very wide range of host plants including Amla, apple, ber, citrus, guava, litchi, loquat, mulberry, peach, pear, plum, pomegranate, sapota and tamarind. The caterpillars bore inside the developing fruits and feed on pulp and seeds just below the rind.
The full-grown caterpillars are 17-20 mm long, dark brown in colour and have short hair and whitish patches all over the body. The adult butterflies are glossy-bluish-violet (males) to brownish violet (females) in colour with an orange patch on the fore wings. The wing expanse is 40-50 mm.
Life-Cycle:
The pest breeds throughout the year on one fruit or the other. The female butterfly lays shiny white, oval shaped eggs singly on the calyx of flowers and on small fruits. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days and the young larvae bore into the developing fruits.
They feed there for 18-47 days till they are full-grown. Then they pupate inside the fruit but occasionally may pupate outside even, attaching themselves to the stalk of the fruit. The pupal stage lasts 7-34 days. There are four overlapping generations in a year.
The larva is parasitized by Brachymeria euploeae Westwood (Chalcididae).
Damage:
The caterpillars damage the fruit by feeding inside and riddling through the ripening seeds of pomegranate. As many as eight caterpillars may be found in a single fruit. The infested fruits are also attacked by bacteria and fungi which cause the fruits to rot. The affected fruits ultimately fall off and give an offensive smell. This pest may cause from 40 to 90 per cent damage to the fruits.
Control:
(i) Bagging of fruits before maturity will help in checking damage.
(ii) Collection and destruction of fallen infested fruits prevents build up of the pest.
(iii) Remove flowering weeds especially of compositae family.
(iv) Spray young fruits with 2.5 kg of carbaryl 50 WP in 1250 litres of water per ha during May-June at 15 days interval. Two to three sprays are enough.
2. Guava Fruit Fly, Bactrocera Dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae):
Guava fruits are attacked by five species of fruit flies, viz., B. dorsalis, B diversus (Coquillett), B. cucurbitae (Coquillett), B. nigrotibialis (Perkins) and B. zonata (Saunders). However, among these, the former two are most common and serious pests of guava. The details are given under ‘Mango’.
Control:
(i) A thorough clean cultivation/sanitation of orchard is essential in reducing pest infestation.
(ii) Remove regularly the fallen infested fruits and bury them in at least 60 cm deep pit. The pit may be covered with clay after every 2-3 days and should not be allowed uncovered for a longer period.
(iii) Avoid taking rainy season crop which may get heavily infested by the pest.
(iv) Plough and stir the soil well before June-July to expose and kill pupae.
(u) Harvest the fruits when slightly hard and green in colour.
(vi) Fix methyl eugenol based PAU fruit fly traps @ 40/ha in the first week of July and recharge the same if required.
(vii) In orchards with history of severe fruit fly infestation, spray 3.125 litres of fenvalerate 20EC in 1250 litres of water per ha at weekly intervals on ripening fruits commencing from July onwards till the rainy season crop is over. Fruits should be harvested at least on 3rd day after spray.
3. Guava Mealy Scale, Chloropulvinaria Psidii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Coccidae):
The guava mealy scale is widely distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world including India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In India, it is a major pest of guava in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Apart from guava, the scale feeds on coffee, tea, citrus, mango, gular, jack-fruit, jamun, litchi, loquat, sapota and many other shrubs and trees.
Life-Cycle:
The adult scales are shield-shaped, oval, yellowish green and measure 3 mm in body length. Eggs are laid beneath the body of mature female in a conspicuous egg-sac and later the female dies. The first instar nymphs or crawlers are the active dispersive phase responsible for starting new infestation.
Two parasitoids, viz., Coccophagus cowperi Girault and C. bogoriensis (Koningsberger) (Aphelinidae) and two species of predators, viz., Scymnus coccivora Ramakrishna Ayyar and Crytolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coccinellidae) are known to feed on C. psidii. Among these, C. montrouzieri is the most common and effective predator.
Damage:
The scale insects are found in large numbers sticking to leaves on ventral side, tender twigs and shoots. They suck sap from ventral side of leaves, petioles, and tender shoots occasionally from fruits. They cause leaf distortion and growth disturbance.
The females feed voraciously and also exude copious quantity of honeydew. The honeydew excreted by the scales encourages the development of sooty mould on foliage which interferes with photosynthetic activity of plants and spoils the market value of fruits. Severe infestation could kill the branches.
Control:
(i) Prune and destroy the infested shoots at initial stage of infestation,
(ii) In case of severe attack, spray 1.25 litres of monocrotophos 40EC in 1250 litres of water per ha.
(iii) After two weeks, release 20 C. montrouzieri beetles per tree preferably close to the site of infestation.
4. Tamarind Fruit Borer, Phycita Orthoclina Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae):
The tamarind fruit borer has been reported from Marquesas Island and the main Sub-continent of India. The larval stage causes considerable damage to tamarind fruits and dry stored fruits. Besides tamarind, it also bores into dry fruits and seeds of Bombax ceiba Linn.
The moths are small, delicate insects, having elongated fore wings. The hind wings are broad and bear hairs on the dorsal side. The full-grown larva is cylindrical, pink and measures 14 mm long.
Life-Cycle:
The tamarind fruit borer is most active during December-April. The female moth lays flat, oval shaped and white eggs, singly on the pulpy portion inside the rough shelled pods, through cracks and crevices found on their surface. On an average, the female lays 190 eggs in three days.
The larvae emerge from eggs after 4-5 days and enter into the fruit pulp and feed there by making a silken web. The larval stage is completed in 27-40 days. The full-grown larva makes a silken cocoon inside the infested pod and pupates there. The moths emerge in about 6-8 days.
Damage:
The larvae feed on the pulp and their castings, excrements and webbings, render the fruit unfit for culinary purposes, hence these cannot be marketed.
Control:
Spray 425 ml of monocrotophos 40EC or 315 ml of dichlorvos 100EC or 1.25 kg of carbaryl 50WP in 625 litres of water per ha.
5. White Grub, Holotrichia Insuiaris Brenske (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae):
It is one of the most abundant and injurious species of beetles found feeding on a large number of host plants including ber, tamarind, falsa, guava, jamun, karaunda, mango, pomegranate, etc. Within India, the pest is more common in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. The adults are brownish black convex beetles. The full-grown grubs are white, fleshy, curved, 38-44 mm long and 6-9 mm wide and are found in the soil.
Life-Cycle:
The beetles emerge in June, after the break of monsoons. They lay eggs in the soil at a depth of 30-150 mm. The eggs are shiny white in colour and oval in shape. The young grubs emerge after 8-12 days of incubation and they start feeding on the roots of host plants. The larval stage is completed in 55-80 days.
The full-grown grubs make earthern cells in the soil, taking 8-12 days to complete the job. Pupation takes place in the cells and the insect hibernates from November to June, first as pupa and then after transformation as an adult. There is only one generation in a year.
Damage:
The nymphs feed on rootlets resulting in gradual withering and drying up of seedlings and young plants. The beetles feed on leaves of a number of trees and defoliate them.
Control:
Soil treatment with lindane 2 per cent dust @ 50 kg per ha is effective.
6. Fig Midge, Anjeerodiplosis Peshawarensis Mani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae):
It is a serious pest of fig in North India; it specifically attacks the country fig (Ficus carica Roxb.), which is it’s only known host. The adult midge is a small light brown fly. The full-grown larva measures 3 mm long and 1 mm broad, is creamy white and flattened dorsoventrally, being narrow anteriorly. The head is small and bears two jointed antennae.
Life-Cycle:
The midges are one of the most abundant insects and are seen under the host trees in the mornings and at dusk. They breed throughout the year except in the summer from April to July. The eggs are laid in the fruits when these are one week old and are the size of a pea. The eggs are minute, hyaline, unsculptured, oval and pedicellate.
They are laid by the females in clusters, the average number of eggs per cluster being 16. The eggs hatch in 3 days in September and March, and 5 days in December and January. The larval stage is completed inside the fig fruits, each of which may contain 200-300 larvae. The larvae pass through four instars and the total larval duration varies from 3 to 4 weeks.
From the middle of April until July the fourth instar larvae remain inside the fruit. The full-grown larvae bore out of the fruit and drop to the ground and pupate in the soil without forming a cocoon. The pupal period is completed in 10-26 days. The total duration of the life-cycle varies from 5 to 7 weeks. In all, seven generations are completed in a year.
Damage:
The attack by this pest is confined exclusively to the fruits. The infested fruits harbouring larvae become hard, hollow, deformed and irregular in outline. An infested fig may grow as large as a normal one, but it remains yellowish green and fails to ripen. In case of severe infestation, the shrivelled and deformed dry fruits are to be seen scattered in large numbers on the ground under the tree.
Control:
(i) All infested flowers and fruits should be removed and destroyed,
(ii) Plough the soil around trees frequently so as to expose and kill the pupae,
(iii) Spray 2.0 litres of carbaryl 50WP or 1.70 litres of dimethoate 30EC in 1250 litres of water per ha at flower bud formation and again when the fruits are ‘pea’ size.
7. White-Tailed Mealybug, Ferrisia Virgata (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae):
Another mealybug, Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) also attacks jackfruit. It is a polyphagous insect recorded all over India on ber, citrus, fig, grapevine, guava, mango, tamarind, mulberry, etc.
The adult females are dark castaneous and 4.0-4.5 mm long. They are covered with a sticky cretaceous white ovisac. The nymphs are deep chocolate in colour, having their dorsum covered thinly with a whitish mealy material.
This pest is very active during dry season and the peak period of activity is around November. The female lays 200-400 eggs which are cylindrically rounded, flat at both ends and chestnut in colour. The eggs are enclosed in the ovisac. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days. Male and female nymphs take 15 and 20 days to complete development, respectively.
Control:
Spray 750 ml of monocrotophos 40 WSC or 625 ml of methyl parathion 50EC in 625 litres of water per ha.
8. Jackfruit Leaf Webber, Perina Nuda Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae):
The caterpillars of this insect attack jack-fruit and also fig and mango. It is a sporadic pest and causes heavy damage in certain years. The male moth has half ocherous and half transparent fore wings with a wing expanse of 33-36 mm, and the female is dull ocherous white in colour having 38-42 mm wing expanse. The full-grown larvae are 22-25 mm long, having short erect tufts of dusky grey to brownish hairs on their body.
Life-Cycle:
This pest becomes active during rainy season. The female moth lays 50-400 eggs in clusters or rows on the leaves of host plants. The eggs are light pink when freshly laid, turning red and brick red later on. The eggs are 0.7 mm long, cylindrically round, tapering towards the end that is attached to the leaf.
The larvae undergo six moultings in 16-20 days before entering the pupal stage. The pupae are hairy and brownish green dorsally, and pale yellow ventrally and are 16-18 mm long. The moths emerge from pupae in 5-9 days. The adults live for 3-11 days and the life-cycle is completed in 27-39 days.
Damage:
The caterpillars fold or web the leaves together and feed on the green matter, causing extensive defoliation.
Control:
(i) Hand picking and mechanical destruction of caterpillars in the initial stage of attack prevent further build-up of population of leaf-webber.
(ii) Spray 750 ml of monocrotophos 40WSC or 1.50 litres of chlorpyriphos 20EC or 1.25 litres of quinalphos 25EC in 625 litres of water per ha. Spray should be directed on the upper surface of foliage.
9. Bark Caterpillar, Indarbeia Tetraonis (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Metarbelidae):
It is a polyphagous pest of major importance on jamun, guava and citrus, especially in northwestern India. It is also a minor pest of litchi, mango, loquat, etc. The adult is a stout pale brown moth with grey wavy markings on the wings. The brownish larva is about 3.8 mm long.
Life-Cycle:
The female moth lays eggs in clusters under the loose bark, during summer. The eggs hatch in 8-10 days and the larvae feed for some time on the bark and then bore inside the trunk and stem, and feed within galleries, from July to March next. Pupation takes place from mid-March to April and lasts 3-4 weeks. The adult moths survive for hardly three days. Only one generation is completed in a year.
Damage:
As a result of larval feeding inside the branches and the trunk, the translocation of cell-sap is disrupted and growth as well as fruiting capacity of the tree is reduced.
10. Jamun Leafminer, Acrocercops Phaeospora Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gracilliariidae):
Four species of leaf-miner, viz. Acrocercops phaeospora Meyrick, A. laxias Meyrick, A. syngramma Meyrick and A. telestis Meyrick have been reported on jamun in India. Of these, A phaeospora is specific to jamun and is comparatively more common and regular in occurrence. A. laxias and A. telestis, on the other hand, are sporadic, while A. syngramma is widely distributed in Indo-Pakistan plains. These are polyphagous in nature and attack jamun, mango, litchi, sweet potato, etc.
Life-Cycle:
The moths lay eggs singly along the mid rib on the underside of the tender leaves. The newly hatched, delicate, pale yellow caterpillar mines a narrow thread like silvery gallery on the leaf along the mid rib. The mine is slowly transformed into a tubular blister-like swelling which extends from 3 to 6 cm in length on the dorsal surface of the leaf.
The caterpillar feeds within the lacerated gallery. When full-fed, it forms a circular flat cocoon in depressed portion or cavity in the mine, usually near the raised conspicuous leaf vein and pupates there. The moth, on emergence, cuts a circular hole in the swollen fragile mine to get an easy exit.
The insect remains active from April to October and passes through several overlapping generations. It overwinters from November to February as pupa inside the tubular mine and the tiny moths emerge during March.
Damage:
The damage is caused by the caterpillars which mine into the leaves and form tubular blister like swellings. There may be a single blister covering both halves of the leaf blade or one blister on each half of the blade. After emergence of the moths, the swollen leaf tissues start drying and eventually rupture and drop off, leaving conspicuously big longitudinal holes in the infested leaves.
Heavily mined leaves later appear as if scortched due to heat. Sometimes, as high as 66 per cent leaves are found riddled by the larvae. Besides causing decrease in photosynthetic activity, the yield of the plants is adversely affected. Most of the damage takes place during summer and rainy season, coinciding with the onset of new vegetative flush and also fruiting stage of the crop.
Control:
(i) Clip off and burn the mined leaves during winter to reduce the incidence of leaf-miner on new growth in March-April.
(ii) Spray 3-125 litres of dimethoate 30EC or 1-5 litres of monocrotophos 36SL or 2-5 litres of oxydemeton methyl 25EC in 1250 litres of water per ha.
11. Litchi Bug, Chrysocoris Stolii Wolff (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae):
The litchi bug is present in India, Myanmar, Formosa and South China. In India, it feeds on litchi, Logan, Lantana, banana and a number of berries, particularly in States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The one-cm long adult bug, on emergence, is red but gradually acquires greenish colour. There are six distinct black spots arranged in rows on the thorax and seven on the scutellum, which covers the abdomen completely. The bright green nymphs measure about 9.5 mm in length.
Life-Cycle:
The bug is available in abundance during March-April and again from August to October. The female bug lays 22 spherical and creamy white eggs either in a single batch or in two or three batches. The young nymphs emerge in 5-7 days. The nymphs moult five times and the duration of successive nymphal instars is 2.5-3.5, 3.5-6.0, 3-6, 5-6 and 5-7 days. Thus, the bug completes its life-cycle in 25-37.5 days.
Damage:
Both adults and nymphs suck sap from stems and young fruits, as a result of which the vitality of the plants is reduced and the attacked fruits wither way.
Control:
Spray 1.25 litres of monocrotophos 40EC or 2.5 litres of dimethoate 30EC in 1250 litres of water per ha.
12. Leafcurl Mite, Acerb Litchi Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae):
The leaf curl mite is the most destructive and specific pest of litchi and has been reported from almost all the litchi growing countries of the world. In India, it has been noticed in West Bengal, North Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The nymphs and adults are similar in appearance, the nymphs being smaller in size and having lesser number of lateral setae. Both are minute, whitish in colour, and veriform four-legged mites. The adults are 0.15-0.20 mm long, while the young nymphs are microscopic.
Life-Cycle:
The overwintering adults start multiplying by the end of March and the peak activity is noticed around July. The extremely small (0.04 mm in dia) eggs are laid singly on the ventral side of leaves. These are round in shape and whitish in colour. The eggs hatch in 2-3 days and the nymphs feed on soft leaves. The nymphal stage is completed in 8-12 days. The adults on emergence mate and lay eggs within their short life of 2-3 days.
Damage:
Both nymphs and adults puncture and lacerate the tissues of leaf with their stout rostrum and suck the cell sap. Chocolate brown velvety growth on the ventral surface of leaves indicates the presence of this pest. As a result of severe feeding, the leaves curl up apically forming hollow cylinders. The attacked leaves ultimately wither and fall off. The attack generally begins from the lower portion of the tree and gradually extends upwards. The young plants and seedlings in nursery are particularly liable to the attack and severe damage.
13. Ak Grasshopper, Poekilocerus Pictus (Fabricius) (Orthoptera: Acrididae):
The Ak grasshopper is distributed in India, Pakistan, Baluchistan and Africa. In India, it is widespread throughout the plains and the desert areas. Although the milkweed Ak (Calotropis spp.) is its main food, the nymphs and adults are also seen feeding on papaya, citrus, fig, banana, cotton, oleander castor, cowpea and a number of vegetables. The stout adult is blue-green with yellow markings. It has red wings and measures 45-60 mm in length. The nymph is yellowish with orange and black stripes all over the body.
Life-Cycle:
On papaya this pest is most active during July-August and passes winter in the egg stage. The whitish young nymphs start emerging from the soil from the end of March to early April. They feed voraciously and become adults in 30-42 days. When they reach the adult stage, the male rides on the females and mating takes place for 5-7 hours.
After a preoviposition period of 25-30 days, the females penetrate their abdomen deep into the soil and lay eggs at a depth of 18-20 cm. About 145-170 orange coloured elongate eggs are laid in a spiral manner to form a compact mass which is covered with a frothy secretion which hardens later on. The eggs laid in summer overwinter for nearly four months.
Damage:
Both adults and nymphs feed voraciously on leaves and skeletonize them. In case of severe infestation even the bark of the trees is not spared.
Control:
Grasshopper can be managed by dusting carbaryl 10 per cent @ 25 kg/ha or malathion 5 per cent @ 50 kg/ha.
14. Sapota Leafwebber, Nephopteryx Eugraphella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae):
The leaf-webber is a major pest of sapota and occurs widely in India. The moth is grey in colour. The destructive larva is 25 mm long, slender in body shape, and is pinkish with a few longitudinal lines on the dorsal surface.
Life-Cycle:
The pest is found throughout the year but the activity increases with the appearance of new shoots and buds. The maximum activity is seen during June-July and the minimum during winter. With the onset of spring season, the female moths start laying pale-yellow, oval shaped eggs singly or in batches of 2 or 3, on leaves and buds of young shoots.
A female may lay as many as 374 eggs in 7 days. The eggs hatch in 2-11 days. The larvae feed for 13-60 days and complete development. They undergo pupation in the leaf-webs and this stage is completed in 8-29 days. The life-cycle is completed in 26-92 days depending upon the varying environmental conditions. There are 7-9 generations of this pest in a year.
Damage:
The larvae clump the leaves together and feed on green matter of leaves, often on buds and flowers and sometimes on tender fruits as well. The larvae bore into the buds, which wither, and then they move on to the next buds thus, damaging many of them. The infestation of this pest can be easily spotted by the presence of webbed shoots, the appearance of dark brown patches on leaves and clusters of dead leaves.
Control:
(i) Removal and destruction of infested leaves and affected fruits by chickoo moth will reduce the infestation,
(ii) Spray 750 ml of phosphamidon 85EC or 2.5 kg of carbaryl 50WP in 1250 litres of water per ha.
15. Plum Hairy Caterpillar, Euproctis fraterna (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae):
The plum hairy caterpillar is distributed in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The insect is known to feed on a number of trees including phalsa, apple, apricot, her, castor, citrus, grapevine, mango, mulberry, peach, pear, pomegranate and strawberry.
Full-grown caterpillars are 35-40 mm long. They have red-head, darkish-brown body with white hairs on the head and a tuft of long hairs at anal end. The adults are yellow moths with pale transverse lines on the fore wings. The wing expanse is 24-28 mm.
Life-Cycle:
The eggs are flat, circular and yellow, and are laid in masses covered with yellow hairs on the under surface of the leaves. A single female may lay as many as 150-300 eggs. They hatch in 4-10 days and caterpillars feed gregariously. The larvae are full-grown in 13-29 days. Pupation takes place in cocoons of hairs on the leaves or on the branches. Pupal period lasts 9-25 days. The total life-cycle is completed in 45-57 days. There are three generations in a year. During winter, the insect hibernates in the larval stage.
Damage:
The caterpillars feed gregariously on leaf lamina skeletonizing it completely. Subsequently, the caterpillars segregate and gnaw the leaves. In case of severe infestation, the entire plant may be denuded.
Control:
(i) Collect and destroy the egg masses and the gregariously feeding young caterpillars.
(ii) Spray 2.5 kg of carbaryl 50 WP in 1250 litres of water per ha.