Pest and Diseases of Coconut

Pest and Diseases of Coconut

Pests of Coconut:

I) Rhinocerous Beetle:

Black beetle with a pointed horn, damages damages developed leaves and flower branches. Beetle lay egg in manure pits and decaying matter.

Control:

1) Hook out beetle from affected crown.
2) Spray 0.1% BHC or Chlordane places of beetle.
3) Fill the leaf axibs with 5% BHC or Chlordane dust with equal propotion of sand.

II) The Red Palm Weevil:

Reddish brown weevil lays eggs on the stem in a cavity scooped out by its grubs. Feed on soft tissue inside the trunk.

Control Measures:

1. Destroy the attacked drying and dead palms.
2. Inject pyrethrin piperonly butoxide (pycocone E) or Carbaryl (Sevin) in the trunk of infested tree abvoe the infection 10 ml of pyrocone E or 20 gm of 50% Sevin in one L of water per palm.                             
           
III) Rat:

It is a serious pest and the damage is 5 to 10%.

Control

1) Fixing GI sheets to stem 18" length..
2) Poison baiting with Zinc Phosphate.

Diseases:

1) Bud Rot:

Caused by Phytophthom palmivora. It is a fetal disease affecting palms of all age group. However, young palmsare: more affected. The symptoms of the disease are yellowing of one or two young leaves, surrounding the spindle. The spindle withers and drop down. The tender leaf basis and the soft tissues of the crown rot into slimy mass of decayed material emitting a foul odour. The disc is more rempan during the monsoon, when the atmospheric temp, is low and .the humidity is high.   –

Control Measures:

1% Bordeaux paste should be applied on the grown after removing the affected tissues and a through cleaning. The treatment would should be given a protective covering till the next normal shoot emerges. As a prophylactic measures all the healthy palms in the vicinity of the diseased one should be sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture.

Root Wilt:

The disease has been prevalent in Kerela for nearly 100 years, and is believed to have made its appearance after the great floods of 1882 recently, it has spread in seven districts of Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu. Out of 7,50,000 ha of coconut nearly 30% of the area is affected by this disease and the annual loss from Kerala alone is estimated around 240 million nuts. The visual diagnostic symptoms are yellowing and marginal necrosis of the leaflets. Yield is reduced considerably. The nuts are smaller and the Kernel is thin, oil content is reduced. The exact cause of the malady is not known though the association of fungi, bacteria and viruses have been implicated. To reduce the loss, due to this disease, the following measures are recommended.

1) Removal and burning of severely diseased uneconomic palms yielding less than 10 nuts/palm/Year.
2) Application of N.P.K. fertilizers are recommended doses and 1 kg MgS04 per palm/year and organic matters.
3) Irrigation during summer months.             
4) Planting hybrid of Chowghat dwarf orange x WCT in disease affected areas.
5) Control of leaf rot which is usually noticed on root (wilt) affected palms by fungicidal sprays.