Recent studies on the management of mango stone weevil Sternochetus mangiferae Fab. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in South India.
Abraham Verghese
Author Affiliation: Entomology Division, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesseraghatta Lake P O Bangalore - 560 089, India.
: 819-822
Abstract : Mango stone weevil, Sternochetus mangiferae Fab. an important insect pest of mango fruit is amenable to control in the early stage of fruit-set. In South India, the varieties Banganpalli, Totapuri, Alphonso and Neelum are highly susceptible. The objective of this study therefore, was to develop a timely management schedule leading to pest-free fruits at harvest, which is a prerequisite for export and processing. Field studies were carried out to evaluate insecticidal treatments of HHR and in farmers' fields, the latter with the help to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). Results showed that intervention with a single spray of monocrotophos 0.05% or fenthion 0.08% at pea to marble size (middle of March) showed 13 to 15% infestation as compared to 34% in the control in 1997. Two sprays of monocrotophos 0.05% at a 10-day interval, in 1998, and destruction of fallen fruits (at and just before harvest of the previous year) resulted in 97.5% and 100% control in Banganpalli and Alphonso. In the farmers field in Andhra Pradesh, South India, two experiments with three sprays of monocrotophos 0.05% or fenthion 0.08% at pre-flowering, at pea size and at marble size gave 100% control, thus ensuring pest-free fruits for export and processing.