Organic Black Gram(Step 8)

Organic pest and disease management

PESTS:

LEAF HOPPER OR JASSID:

Symptoms

  • The main symptom of this pest is yellowing of edges of the leaves and then curling/tilting of leaves.
  • Under severe infestation, leaves bend up and dry up.
  • Pest infestation causes plants to stops further growth making them stunted.

Management

  • Intercropping with sorghum, sesame and pearl millet.
  • Spray neem oil @ 5 ml/lit or Verticillium lecanii 2.0% A.S @ 5ml/lit
  • Spray 4-5% (40-50 ml/lit) Brahmastra.

WHITE FLY:

Symptoms

  • It acts as a vector for yellow mosaic virus.
  • It feeds on the plant sap which lowers the growth and leaves bend downward.
  • Whitefly develops a layer of black fungus on the leaves, which decrease the rate of photosynthesis.

Management

  • Use insect resistant urd bean varieties.
  • Weeds are optional nutrition for these flies, so weeds should be removed in the field, water ways/canals and surroundings.
  • It is most effective to shake infested plants with vessels of oil and water or oily cloth.
  • Spray 4-5% (40-50 ml/lit) Brahmastra.
  • Spray Verticillium lecanii 2.0% A.S or neem oil @ 5ml/lit.

BLISTER BEETLE:

Symptoms

  • The adults are medium to large, usually black with large yellow spots and a red band across the abdomen, which sometimes changes into yellow spots.
  • Adults feed on the flowers and tender pods resulting in fewer pods.
  • The pest activity will be peak from August to October in Southern India.
  • Most of the flowers are eaten by beetles and crop losses may be substantial.

Management

  • The only possible solution is manual collection or collection with an insect net and killing the adults in water mixed with kerosene.

SPOTTED POD BORER:

Symptoms

  • The larva webs the flowers, leaves and developing pods together.
  • Larva feeds on flower, flower buds and pods from inside the webs.
  • In severe cases, the number of pods drastically reduces.

Management

  • Deep summer ploughing.
  • Install light traps @ 5 traps /ac to monitor the adult activity.
  • Destroy the larval webs present on the plants and burn the webs to destroy the larva present inside the web.
  • Early sowing, short duration varieties.
  • Avoid closer plant spacing.
  • Grow tall sorghum as comparison crop to serve as biological bird perches
  • Install Bird perches @ 50/ha.
  • Setting of light traps (1 light trap/5 acre) to kill moth population.
  • Control is achieved by releasing of Trichogramma chlionis at weekly intervals @1.5 lakh/ha/ week for four times.
  • Spray Beauveria bassiana 2.0% A.S 1 lit/acre or neem oil/ pungum oil 80 EC @ 2ml/lit.
  • Spray a solution made by mixing HANPV 10 larvae plus one hundred grams of jaggery in a 15-liter tank.
  • Spray a solution of pungent green chilli, garlic, ginger, onion, and sticker at 900 ml per 15-liter tank.

BIHAR HAIRY CATERPILLAR

Symptoms

  • The adult moth is cream colored with black spots and it can lay up to 500-600 eggs.
  • The young caterpillars are gregarious in nature and they eat the chlorophyll completely.
  • The infested leaves appear papery white with young caterpillars attached.
  • The adult caterpillars eat away leaves, soft stems and branches completely.

Management

  • Uproot the damaged plants along with the young larvae at the gregarious phase and destroy it by burying under the soil.
  • Spray Beauveria bassiana @ 4ml/lit for the management of early instar larva.
  • Spray 4-5% (40-50 ml/lit) Brahmastra.
  • When the initial effect is visible, the adult female lays a large number of eggs in one place, due to which the small larvae appear in a swarm.
  • Collect the larvae along with the plant and seal them in a container. Feed these pests small amounts every day. Their natural smell attracts the parasitic Braconid wasp. According to the natural cycle, the wasps lay their eggs by stinging the larvae. After some time, the eggs of the parasite become visible in these larvae. These parasitic larvae should be pasted on a card and placed in the field.
  • In herbal medicine, spray a solution of pungent chillies, ginger, garlic, onion and a sticker at 900 ml per tank.
  • Use commercially available organic inputs Beauveria bassiana 1.15% WP

SHOOT FLY

Symptoms

  • Once the maggot begins boring into the stems of the young plants, the plants start rotting.

Management

  • Apply Guar-based yeast compost spray, which attracts the parasitic wasp Telenomus, an effective natural enemy of this pest.

DISEASES:

CERCOSPORA LEAF SPOT

Symptoms

  • The infection usually starts from older leaves.
  • The disease symptoms typically characterized by dark brown spots on the leaves, surrounded by red outer edges.
  • The spots are clearly visible at the upper surface.
  • The spots coalesce to form big spots and diseased leaves drop down.
  • Under severe infestation, the spots may be observed on branches and pods also.
  • Seeds of these pods also become shrinked and discolor.

Management

  • Use of disease-free seed as it is a seed borne disease.
  • Delayed sowing of Mungbean during kharif reduces the disease severity and helps the crop to escape heavy rains.
  • Spray dry ginger + milk solution @ 5% (50ml/lit water) or sour butter milk.
  • Spray a zinc-based fungicide solution made by fermenting mustard cake + waste decomposer + 10 leaves.
  • Use commercially available products like Trichoderma viridae @ 250-500 gm/acre, Pseudomonas fluorescence -0.5% WP

POWDERY MILDEW:

Symptoms

  • The symptoms of this disease can be seen on all aerial parts.
  • The symptoms first appear as dark, unpleasant coloured spots on lower leaves that gradually change to white spots.
  • In severe cases, spots become larger and spread towards the upper leaves, stem, branches and pods.
  • Sometimes, necrosis and browning of affected tissues is also seen.
  • The severely affected plants look as if talcum powder has been thrown on the leaves.

Management

  • Use of disease resistant varieties.
  • Remove and destroy the infested debris.
  • Spray NSKE @ 5% or neem oil @ 3% twice at 10 days interval.
  • Spray dry ginger + milk solution @ 5% (50ml/lit water) or sour butter milk.
  • Spray 0.5% solution of Sulphur.
  • Alternatively, spray 10 to 15 kg of Sulphur powder per acre.

YELLOW MOSAIC DISEASE:

Symptoms

  • The first visible symptoms appear irregular yellow spots on the infected leaves that merge from larger spots.
  • Ultimately entire leaves turn yellow and dry up.
  • The infected plant matures late and in severely infected plants, the number of flowers and pods reduced drastically.
  • In advance stages, yellow spots may also be observed on pods and seeds.

Management

  • Grow disease resistant varieties.
  • Border row planting of corn in 2 rows.
  • Installing yellow sticky traps @ 5 / acre to know the presence of whitefly
  • Uproot and destroy diseased plants at early stage of the crop.
  • Spray dry ginger + milk solution @ 5% (50ml/lit water) or sour butter milk.

LEAF CURL DISEASE:

Symptoms

  • Symptoms of this disease may appear on the plant at any stage till maturity.
  • The earliest symptoms appear on the leaflets as chlorotic spots around some lateral veins and its branches near the margin.
  • Such leaflets show downward curling of the margins and twisting of leaves may also be seen.
  • On the lower surface of the infected leaves, brown details appear in the veins, which spread towards the stalks.
  • The plants infected at early stage remain stunted and are often killed.
  • Affected leaves are very brittle and are broken with slight jerk.

Management

  • Spray dry ginger + milk solution @ 5% (50ml/lit water) or sour butter milk.
  • Spray a solution prepared from Acacia leaves and yeast @200 ml/15 liter tank.
  • Use commercially available products such as Vanguard (Azadirachtin 10000 PPM, @ 2-3 ml /litre water.

LEAF CRINKLE:

Symptoms

  • The symptoms of the disease appear after three to four weeks of sowing.
  • Extra elongation and wrinkles on the leaves are the typical symptoms of the disease.
  • On touching these leaves usually appear to be thicker and rougher than normal leaves.
  • The infected plant can be easily identified from a distance.
  • During flowering stage, inflorescence looks like a bunch and fall down before attaining maturity.
  • Pollens become sterile and plants bear few buds.
  • The infected plants remain green until maturity.

Management

  • Uprooting and burying of diseased plants immediately after observing symptoms.
  • Use disease resistant varieties.
  • Removal of weed hosts.

*All the plant protection inputs used in the field should be obtained from an organic source or prepared in the own organic farm.

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