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Keep the bugs at bay WE start taking care of the mango tree only when we find it not bearing fruit or dropping prematurely. Most of the time the damage is already done even before plant protection measures are taken. The danger starts lurking in the form of insects and diseases that attack the tree well before the actual flowering and fruiting takes place. You may think the mango does not grow during winters but even then it is vulnerable to many dangers. Let us nip the evil in the bud. The damage in mango starts with the appearance of mango mealy bug in December. The damage caused by this insect is tremendous as its young ones crawl up and congregate on young twigs and flowering panicles in large numbers, severely affecting flowering and fruiting. It is not easy to control this insect with chemicals as it has a waxy covering on its body which comes in the way of direct chemical contact. |
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It needs to be kept in mind that some of these insects might find a way to climb up under the sheet. Cover the lower edge with compacted soil. The purpose of applying a band is defeated if some branches of the tree are touching a nearby wall or an adjoining tree. This band then has to be applied in other trees, too. Do not let the branches touch a wall. The bugs may use the wall to crawl up the tree. In case, there are many nymphs (the young ones) apply 50 gm of methyl parathion dust on the compacted soil to kill them. This is also the right time to remove the malformed shoots that keep hanging on the tree and are a perpetual source of insects and diseases. Cut and remove such hanging bunches along with a little healthy portion of the stem and destroy by burying or burning. |