Nursery Techniques - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 42

Table 2.8 Management of pests and diseases in nursery and plantations
Sr.
no.

Name of
pest/pathogen

Symptoms/disease or damage
caused

Preventive measures Curative measures

Part A: Pests and diseases in nursery
1 White grubs Damage to roots, defoliators Better sunlight, sanitation, deep

ploughing of soils

Soil poisoning with chlorpyriphos 20 EC 50 ml
diluted with 5 l, sprayed on soil of the bed.
Alternate use of carbofuran, diazinon, and phorate
is desirable

2 Cutworms Damage to newly germinated

plants

Clean unwanted grasses, weeds; collect
these from time to time and destroy

Treat bed soil with 1 % heptachlor or (benzene
hexachloride) BHC 10 % dust

3 Termites Damage to roots, stem Clear the site of wood debris, termite

mounds, pretreat soil with heptachlor
or chlorpyriphos dust at the rate of
1 g/polypot; avoid infested clay,
manure, or sand

Irrigate affected polypots with chlorpyriphos 20 EC
diluted 10 ml/l; alternate use of fenvalerate
0.75 ml/l, cypermethrin 1 ml/l, deltamethrin 1 ml/l
is desirable

4 Defoliators Beetles and caterpillars damage

the leaves by eating up

Clear unwanted vegetation in the
neighbourhood of the nursery; do not
import plants from other nurseries

Spray endosulfan, malathion (0.1-0.2 %) or
monocrotophos (0.3%) on the foliage of plants.
Alternate foliar spray of neem seed soil 0.5 %,
dimethoate 0.2 %, and dichlorvos 0.25 % is
desirable

5 Sucking

pests

Suck up sap from the leaves,
make leaves withered, and
lead to immature leaf shedding

Deep plough the area nearby, clear of
weeds

Use foliar spray as mentioned above. Change the
pesticide in each application so that resistance is
not developed

6 Slugs Debark young seedlings of neem,

etc.

Periodically collect and destroy the pest
by immersing in common salt solution

Spray metaldehyde or salt solution; or physically
collect in early mornings and evenings

7 Desert locust Will eat away all foliage and

thereby kill the plants

Keep ears and eyes open Neem seed kernel powder suspension in water 0.5 %

should be sprayed on the plants. It acts as a
repellent. Alternatively, deltamethrin may be
sprayed

8 Rats,

squirrels

Eat away seeds, roots of
seedlings, collars

Set up traps; keep cats; keep watch Poison baiting with zinc phosphide 5 g, sugar 5 g,

mustard oil 5 g, flour 100 g