Protection of mango crop against newly discovered midge pests.
Grover P.
Author Affiliation: Dep. Zool., Univ. Allahabad, India.
Cecidologia Internationale 6 : 35-40
Abstract : The use of cultural control in combination with insecticide application to control the cecidomyiids Erosomyia indica [E. mangiferae], Procystiphora mangiferae and Dasineura amaramanjarae on mango was investigated in field studies in Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1972. The cultural practices involved cleaning, manuring and irrigating the soil under the trees. Wet soil delays the emergence of adults from the soil, slowing the build-up of the pest and enabling the inflorescence buds to grow without disturbance. Insecticides (0.02% Dimecron [phosphamidon], 0.02% phosphamidon plus 0.03% diazinon and 0.25% Metasystox [demeton-S-methyl] plus 0.03% malathion) were sprayed when the population peaked and again 13 days later. Five concentrations (0.3, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06 and 0.07%) of aldrin were applied to the soil to kill larvae as they dropped to the soil for pupation or diapause and again 21 days later. In plots treated with both phosphamidon plus diazinon and demeton-S-methyl plus malathion, there were no hovering cecidomyiids visible 2-3 days after spraying. When infected infloresence buds were examined after the first spray, larval mortality was found to be 80-90% in plots treated with phosphamidon and 50-60% with demeton-S-methyl. Insecticide-treatment of the soil killed the larvae dropping for pupation or diapause, reducing attack in the following season.