Apple orchardists fear mite attack

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 28

Thanks to a prolonged dry spell and heat wave, apple farmers are fearing mite attack in the orchards, giving them sleepless nights for the last past 10 days.

As a result, the chemical sellers are making a fast buck by allegedly spreading panic and asking the gullible farmers to spray insecticides even as it is not required.

What has raised the fears of the farmers is that the heat wave is gaining momentum in the region. The temperature is hovering between 29.3 degree Centigrade and 18 degree Centigrade, ideal condition for the mite to lay eggs, scientists said.

The mites eat leaves that in turn stop supply of nutrition to plants and fruit and farmers get low quality fruit.

The Department of Horticulture should spread awareness about the mite attacks which increase due to lack of awareness and unnecessary sprays of insecticides at an early stage, scientists observed.

The scientists cautioned farmers not to get panicky or resort to “unnecessary chemical sprays, mainly insecticides, even if they face mite attack”.

“The orchards which have been sprayed with a mixture of insecticides or fungicides are bound to face mite attack early this time because the insecticides kill the predatory mites or insects and flare up the attack,” observed Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.

“Even if farmers spot five to six mite insects with a lens on each leave, they should not panic,” Dr Thakur advised.

Instead, they should use ‘miticides’ as recommended in the spray schedule, which is prepared by the university. The mite attacks could flare up in June and July in orchards where insecticides had been sprayed at an early stage, he warned.

Dr Thakur said once the mite attacks flared up, it could be controlled by repeated sprays, which can be a costly affair. Farmers should observe their orchards and get expert and practical advice time to time, he added.

Farmers have already reported mite attacks in orchards at Maraog, Dewat, Khagna, Bodhana in Chopal, parts of Kotgarh, Jubbal, Kotkhai and Rohru as well.

But those who followed the spray schedule said they had not suffered an attack yet.

“I followed the spray schedule and have avoided the insecticides in the orchard and have yet to spot signs of mites on leaves so far,” said Sachin Chauhan, an orchardist from Maraog.