Custard apple can be called as a delicacy of the dry region due to its very sweet delicate flesh but its cultivation can be affected by a number of pests which needs to be prevented.
Three major pests of custard apple are:-
1.Fruit borer: Heterographis bengalella
Symptoms of damage:
- Caterpillar bore into the fruits making tunnels and feed on the internal content of the fruits
- Affected fruits fall to ground
Identification of pest:
- Larva: Black coloured caterpillar
Management:
- Collect and destroy the damaged fruits
- Spray malathion 0.1% two times once at flower formation and second at fruit set
2.Fruit fly: Bactrocera zonata
Symptoms of damage:
- Maggot bore into the semi-ripened fruits
- Feed on the inside fruits
- Affected fruits get shrivelled, malformed, rot and fall off
Identification of pest:
- Larva: Yellowish apodous maggots
- Adult: Light brown with transparent wing
Management:
- Collect fallen infested fruits and dispose of them by dumping in a pit and covering with soil
- Provide summer ploughing to expose the pupa
- Immersion of fruits in hot water (45 to 47 °C) for 60 minutes to kill eggs and maggots
- Monitor the activity of flies with methyl eugenol sex lure traps.
- Use bait spray combine any one of the insecticides and molasses or jaggery 10 g/l,
- Fenthion 100 EC 1ml/l
- Malathion 50 EC 2 ml/l
- Dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/l
- Carbaryl 50 WP 4 g/l
- two rounds at 2 weeks interval before ripening of fruits
- Prepare bait with methyl eugenol 1% solution mixed with malathion 0.1%.
- Take 10 ml of this mixture per trap and keep them in 25 different places in one hectare
- Spray 0.1% malathion 50 EC at 1ml/lit
- Field release of natural enemies Opius compensates and Spalangia philippines
3.Tailed mealy bug: Ferrisa virgata
Symptoms of damage:
- Adults and crawlers are found on leaves, young shoots and fruit (between segments)
- Yellowing of leaves
- Reduction of fruit size and do not fetch premium price in the market
Identification of pest:
- Nymph: Yellowish to pale white
- Adult: Females apterous, long, slender covered with white waxy secretions
Management:
- Collect and destroy the mealybug infested leaves, shoots and fruits
- Spray dichlorvos 0.05%, two times at new flush and shoot formation and second at fruit set.
- Release Cryptolaemous montrouzieri beetles @ 10/tree
Source-
- TamilNadu Agritech Portal
