Scientists of Kerala Agriculture University (KAU) have confirmed mealy bug infestation in the fruit plants of Idukki district. The disease can easily spread to a wide area and the infestation, carried through ants, can destroy plants, including trees.
Scientists from KAU’s Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara, identified it as root mealy bug ( Xenococcus annandalei ). This is for the first time that the bug is spotted in the State. It was earlier reported in Odisha.
K.P. Kuriakose, who led the KAU team in studying the disease, said elimination of the bug would not be easy. Continuous effort from six months to one year was needed to control it in an area. If it spreads, containing the bug would be hard.
He said the main step was to identify the disease early and destroy the affected plants, thus avoiding the bug’s spread.
Sucking moisture
The root mealy bug sucks moisture out of plant’s roots causing the plant to die. The symptoms are not noticed initially and the infestation spreads fast.
The ant, Acropyga acutiventris, carries the bug across plantations. The disease has been confirmed in Mannakkudy, Nedunkandam, Upputhara, and Ettakkanam in Idukki.
Ant control
The first step in disease control is prevention of ants’ movement. Since the bug affects weeds, destroying of weeds followed by lime application at the rate of one kg a cent are recommended as primary steps. In severely affected areas, Chlorpyriphos diluted at the rate of 2.5 ml per litre of water can be used.
Bio-agent Verticillium too is effective. Verticillium dissolved in water at the rate of ten grams a litre should be sprayed across the plot. But, there should be a gap of 30 days between the use of Chlorpyriphos and Verticillium, he said.
Disease confirmed in Idukki; reported for the first time in Kerala
